Power of Vongola Decimo
by long live marshmallows
Summary: COMPLETED STORY: Tsuna and his Guardians help various people who are in need of help, whether the trouble is from the Mafia, the Yakuza, the Triads, or your every day gangster. A series of ONESHOTS starring different Guardians in each chapter (no OC pairings).
1. Vongola Decimo

**Power of Vongola Decimo**

_ONESHOT_

_...  
><em>

This is basically about Tsuna's classmate who has a family problem with the mafia and Tsuna helps out without her knowing until the end, where—I should stop spoiling. The point is that Tsuna shows the _Power of Vongola Decimo! _He helps those in need like how the Vongola should.

Hope you like it!

**Time:** First year of High School.

* * *

><p>A first year named Akira Miyuki, otherwise known as Yuki to her peers, walked to Namimori High School cautiously. Why? Simple. She owed the local Yakuza money. Well, she wasn't quite sure whether she should call them the Yakuza or the Mafia. They were clearly Japanese, but claimed that they were Mafia. Her father was sick in the hospital and their family was short on money. Her mother went to work the whole day, but the money earned from her job was barely enough to pay for their daily needs so Yuki had no choice but to take up a part-time job.<p>

"Yo, Akira-saan!" Someone roughly grabbed her arm, bruising it in the process.

"Ite..." She winced and looked at her attacker. It was the gang, run by a man known as Shiki. His followers with him at the moment were Tim and Joe.

"You have any money _now?" _

"Eh… I'm not getting my pay check until the end of the month, Shiki-san…"

"So you're saying you have no money to pay up?" Tim glared at her.

"I-I'm really sorry! But we're working on it!"

"Oh, that's _right…_ you live with your mother, don't you?" Shiki had a sly smile.

"P-Please… I have to go to school now! I can't be late." She twisted her arm, trying to break free. The grip only tightened.

"You know… you have a pretty face…" At that comment, she gasped and struggled more fiercely. Shiki laughed.

"I'm only joking!" He abruptly let go. "Make sure you have the money by the end of the month, sweetheart." The three of them left laughing. Yuki ran the rest of the way, clutching her injured arm.

...

"HIIIEEE! I'm going to be late!" Tsuna rushed out the door with a plain slice of bread in his mouth. "Bye mom!"

"Have a good day!" Was the reply.

"Reborn, you should've woken me up earlier," he complained to his tutor who sat on his head.

"Hmph. I tried to, but you won't wake up. Leon's one tonne hammer doesn't work on you anymore. I had to shoot you with three practice bullets before you stirred, hit you with a three tonne hammer before your eyes open, and stick one of Lambo's grenades into your shirt before you realised what was going on and throw it out the window. _Then, _you turn to me and start yelling. Because you don't respect your tutor, I had to shoot you again. By that time, you were already wide awake. Then you trip over you own feet about a dozen times before you're fully dressed for school. You trip _again _down the stairs and hop into the kitchen with a bruised toe. Then you don't take a proper breakfast and leave the house at a run."

Tsuna didn't utter a sound.

"It's true. You are definitely my student, Dame-Tsuna, the Vongola Decimo. No doubt about it."

"Hai, hai..."

They arrived at school five minutes after the bell. Hibari was nowhere to be seen, thankfully, as he charged into his class in the middle of role call.

"Sorry I'm late!" The brunet gasped for breath with his hands on his knees.

"Juudaime! Good morning!"

"Yo, Tsuna!"

"Dame-Tsuna is late again," someone snickered. They shut up when Gokudera gave them an angry glare.

"Sorry I'm late!" a girl's voice called out behind Tsuna. He turned around and saw Yuki.

"Good…_gasp_…morning…_gasp_…Yuki-san." She gave him a wave. Then her right sleeve caught his attention. The buttons that closed the cuff were unbuttoned and he saw a bruise forming.

"SAWADA!" He flinched.

"Akira!"

"H-Hai!" they both said. Their sensei glared at them.

"Because you are both tardy, you will be partners for the next assignment. Sawada, you will go to the Disciplinary Committee to get your late slip. Because this is Akira's first time late this year, Sawada you will get her slip as well and stay there for detention after school."

Tsuna blanched. "Please sensei...spare my life!" he said with a groan, knowing it wouldn't happen. Hibari moved into High School with them and had taken control, since Reborn kindly convinced him that with the Vongola Family in Namimori High, there would be more trouble here than in Namimori Middle.

"Get to your seats and start the project!"

Tsuna trudged to his seat and Yuki followed him. She sat at the table in front of him and turned the chair to face the front of his desk. She began to take out the things they needed and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt so they wouldn't get caught. Tsuna asked her, "Yuki-san, what happened to your arm?"

Her hands twitched and looked at her arm. She covered the bruise that as already forming.

"It's nothing. Dame-Tsuna, you better not make me fail." She used his nickname in an attempt to drop the subject but he wasn't fazed.

"No," he said firmly. He'd seen enough bruises on himself and others to know possible causes for them. This only had one cause. "Someone grabbed you there and none too lightly. Those are bruises from a hand."

She looked into his confident, worried brown eyes and then looked at the table.

"You can tell me what's wrong," he said quietly. "I'm Dame-Tsuna, right? I won't tell it to anyone who will bother you because of it."

Yuki sighed. _I bet I can tell him the truth and he won't even believe me._ "Alright, I'll tell you. It's the Yakuza. I owe a group of them money from helping my dad in the hospital." It felt better to have it said. She looked up to see his expression. It was calm, like they were talking about the weather.

"The _Yakuza," _she repeated, in case Tsuna might have heard wrong.

He nodded. "Which family are they from? And what are their names?"

"Family? Well… when I first met them… they said something like… Cavallone…?" She was startled when Tsuna's eyes flashed with recognition.

He sat back on his chair, thinking to himself. _Cavallone__ Family? Isn't that _Dino-san's _family? Why would they do that? Unless Dino-san is in Italy, which makes it hard to look over every Mafioso in his family. Maybe they are doing whatever they want because Dino-san isn't here to stop them._

"…Tsuna! Dame-Tsuna?" Yuki repeated his name and finally got his attention. His head came up.

"What are their names?" _There's a chance that I met them during the Inheritance Ceremony._

"Eto… Their names are Shiki, Tim, and Joe. They are the only ones I ever see," she said softly. She shuffled some papers around when the teacher walked past them. Then she snorted. "Why am I even telling this to you? You're Dame-Tsuna."

He gave her one of his sunshine smiles. Did he always smile so brightly? She never noticed before because, well, he's _Dame-Tsuna._

"Don't worry, Yuki-san. Everything will be fine soon." He smiled so much she didn't have the heart to doubt him.

"Wait a second. You aren't going to tell this to the police are you?" she asked. His smile was replaced with a puzzled look. "Because if you tell them they abused me and everything, we might have to go to court, and then fines will be needed, possibly witnesses, and he may go into jail for a few years, or community service and such. Once he comes back out, it might get worse. I don't want a lot of trouble." .

Tsuna's eyes went slightly wide. "Do you read law books or something?"

She shifted in her seat. "Hm. You can say that. I want to be a lawyer one day."

"That's...wow. Ne, about this project…" They began their actual assignment.

...

That night, he told Reborn about the problem Yuki had.

"Reborn, Dino-san is a mafia Boss, not a Yakuza leader, but Yuki-san is having trouble with a family that's called Cavallone, in the Yazuka."

"Dino has a family branch that's in the Yakuza. That happens sometimes, to make better connections between the two crime organisations."

Tsuna looked horrified at the thought of making better connections between two criminal organisations. Then he remembered the problem. "I want to help her, but I'm not sure how..."

"You can talk to Dino about it to ask what you should do. You want to help Yuki, right?" Leon promptly turned into a cell phone. "Better make it quick, because Leon's long distance calling only lasts for five minutes." Reborn dialed the number and tossed the phone to Tsuna, who caught it one handed, thanks to living with Reborn for over two years.

_"Yo, Dino here."_

"D-Dino-san?"

_"Hey, lil' bro! What can I do for you?"_

Tsuna told him exactly what he told Reborn.

_"Hm. That's quite a problem. I strictly said no hurting the people they interact with unless they were attacked. This is worse, since they're bullying a friend of yours. Go ahead, Tsuna. Do whatever you want with them! You have my consent. If I were in Namimori right now, I'll teach them a lesson myself. But since I'm pretty busy, I'm not free to leave Italy until next month. I have meetings booked at every corner."_ Dino sighed.

"Oh... What do you want me to do, Dino-san?"

_"Well, first off, you can tell them that you're on Vongola business, here to talk to Shiki, and you're my lil' bro, the famous Vonolga Decimo, then you can tell them to stop harassing little Yuki-chan. Tell them to wait patiently for the money. Knowing your friends, Tsuna, she'll definitely pay them given the time."_

_She's not _really _my friend, _Tsuna thought. "O-Oh. Thanks, Dino-san!"

_"It's my pleasure to help out my brother when he needs it—!"_ The line was cut.

"D-Dino-san? Hello?" Tsuna looked at the phone.

"Five minutes are up," Reborn said. Leon turned back into a green chameleon and wiggled in Tsuna's grasp.

"EEEP!" He let go. Leon fell onto his bed before jumping onto his partner's fedora.

"Get rid of those disgraceful sound effects of yours! If I hear another one during your meeting tomorrow..." Reborn's eyes glinted. He continued after his student got the hidden message. "After school you're going to go and tell those Mafioso what you want. Bring Gokudera with you."

"I can protect myself," the now sleepy boss said.

"That's not the point. It's tradition to bring your right-hand man or someone you really trust—like me—when dealing with other famiglias."

"Okay, whatever." He was asleep.

...

The next morning, Yuki came in late again. So did Tsuna, but that was no surprise.

"Akira Miyuki! What has gotten into you? Two lates in a row? The next one sends you to the Disciplinary Committee!"

"Sorry, sensei…"

This time, Tsuna saw marks on her other arm and a red cheek. _I definitely have to do something about this, _he thought angrily.

Once the last bell rang, Tsuna and his friends left. They walked for a while, until they reached the intersection where Dino said the gang nested. He stopped. A moment later, the rest of them stopped.

"Tsuna, what's up?" Yamamoto asked with a confused smile.

"O-Oh, it's nothing. It' sjust that me and Gokudera-kun have to go somewhere," Tsuna said.

"J-Juudaime?"

"Do you want us to go with you?" Ryohei asked.

Tsuna smiled and shook his head, laughing. "It's okay. I only need one Guardian, not all seven, haha!"

"Guardian?" the three present repeated. "Sawada, are you doing something dangerous TO THE EXTREME?"

"No, it's nothing dangerous… I just…" _I can't believe I'm going to say this! _"…need my right-hand to help me out ahahaha..." They all stared at him.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera _shone._

"If that's how it is," Yamamoto said grinning. It must have taken Tsuna a while to admit he had a right-hand man, which labelled him as their boss. "Then we'll wait at your house, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, everyone! Come on, Gokudera-kun." He waved and began walking, looking at the numbers on the buildings. He stopped in front of a new looking one and scanned the numbers on the wall for the floor and room number he needed.

"Juudaime, what do you need me for?" Gokudera asked curiously. Tsuna grinned sheepishly.

"Well, Gokudera-kun, we're going to be on some Vongola business."

"Vongola…business…? You mean, actual business, not fighting?"

"If it goes well, there shouldn't be a fight. But we should be ready for one. Be nice." By "being nice", Gokudera wasn't allowed to bring out his explosives to threaten anyone.

"Hai, Juudaime!"

"Then let's go!" Tsuna stepped inside and was instantly surround by three thugs.

"What do you two brats want? Don't you know this is owned by the Cavallone Family?" One of them demanded.

"_What?" _Gokudera looked at Tsuna. "Juudaime, you have to talk to Cavallone?"

"Yeah. We need to talk to Shiki."

The thugs looked at each other. "What business do you have with Shiki?" Another asked suspiciously. Tsuna grinned. He was starting to like the two worded answer that supposedly answered everything.

"Vongola business."

"Vongola?" they murmured. There were no rival families in Namimori, so no one knew the name Vongola unless it was actually a _Vongola _looking for them. They let them through, much to Tsuna's relief. Inside, he was shaking. But knowing that this was Dino's family gave him comfort.

"He's waiting for you on the fourth floor, first room to your left."

"Thanks."

Once there, Tsuna steadied himself and rapped on the door. It opened to reveal a bulky man in a sleeveless blue shirt and baggy blue jeans. He was smoking a cigarette. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"We are the... Vongola. I would like to speak with Shiki-san," Tsuna said.

The man snorted. "Not everyone can see Shiki, you dolt. Now get outta here." He was about to close the door but Gokudera shoved his foot in and used his shoulder to force the door open again.

"Watch what you say, bastard!" He pointed to Juudaime. "Because this is the one and only Vongola Decimo!" Tsuna gritted his teeth. Did he have to have such a _grand _entrance?

"Tim. Let me see this guy."

Tim stepped away and a lanky looking man stepped forward. Tsuna noticed that Shiki was a head taller than both of them with plenty of fighting experience from the looks of it. Now, Shiki looked at the brunet. He remembered his higher up, Marcello, talking about the Decimo when he saw him at the Inheritance Ceremony.

"The Decimo is tiny!" he had said. "He has spiky brown hair that won't go down. He has the funniest voice if you hear him squeal. It's like, _HIIIIEE!"_ Marcel demonstrated something he saw with dramatic expressions on his face and body movements. "But," he continued. "What I noticed, was that his eyes were filled with determination when he wasn't busy screaming. Other than that, he is powerful; powerful, but kind. He thinks of his friends and he trusts people at first glance. He can even forgive enemies that have tried to kill him. Have you heard of Rokudo Mukuro, the man who was held in Vindice's deepest prison? He is the Decimo's Mist Guardian. He's tried to possess Decimo's body and he still threatens to, but Decimo considers him an ally. With all those traits, the one you must always remember is that he will do anything to protect those he likes. You don't want to be on his bad side. Be glad we are part of the alliance."

Shiki saw all those traits in this boy—except for the "_HIIIE!" _and powerful side. His eyes and body were alert for sudden attacks, but they also showed trust and comfort. Shiki turned to look at the teenager who accompanied the Decimo. Short, silver hair and green emerald glaring eyes. He stood to the brunet's right, looking into every corner of the room. These two trusted each other with their lives, he realised.

"Of course we do," Tsuna said, looking into the man's eyes. Shiki took a step back.

"What?"

Tsuna gave him a small smile. Looks like some of Reborn's mind reading skills have rubbed off on him; but he thought it was mostly because of his Hyper Intuition.

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"And what can I do for you, Vongola?"

"You know Akira Miyuki, right?"

"The girl? Pfft, yeah I know her. She needed money for her dad's operation and now she and her mother owes us big time."

"But you didn't need to _hurt her." _Tsuna's eyes had a hint of annoyance.

"We weren't going to do anything to her," Tim said. Gokudera sent him one of his glares.

"You don't talk when the bosses are talking!"

"Gokudera-kun, calm down!" Tsuna said, a little anxious. He turned back to Shiki, who was now sitting behind his desk. Tsuna and Gokudera were standing in front of it with Tim behind Shiki. "You've done enough damage to her and her family. She came to school with bruises on her arms and face. Do you have anything to say to that?" Tsuna demanded. Shiki looked truly surprised. He turned to Tim.

"I didn't do it, Shiki!"

"Where's Joe?"

"Downstairs..."

"Get him up here," was said in a calm tone. Tim ran out. It was never a good sign when Shiki, the guy who was never calm, became calm.

"I admit I bruised her right forearm, but I don't know anything about the other ones," Shiki said. Gokudera stepped forward.

"We won't know if you're telling the truth or not!"

"No, he's telling the truth," Tsuna said, "he already admitted doing the first injury, why deny the rest?" _Besides, I don't feel him lying. _

"Yes...Juudaime. That does make sense."

"Boss! You need something?" Joe barged through the door, almost knocking it off its hinges. Tsuna almost EEP'd but stopped himself. He _did _jump in surprise, though. Joe towered over all the occupants in the room by at least three feet.

"Did you go bother the Akiras without my say so?"

Joe shrugged. "I saw her on the street, working at a stall and just went up to her to talk. Then I told her that we can lessen the debt if she gives me a few hot buns for free. She said no, that will be lying and stealing from the owner, which is against the law."

"Huh. Yuki-san _would _say something like that," Tsuna murmured to Gokudera.

He just grunted. "We don't need to deal with a law-obsessed maniac, Juudaime."

"Then I just got mad and," Joe shrugged. "I hit her."

"You _hit _her just because you were _mad?" _Tsuna blurted out. Joe stared at him.

"Who's the brat?"

Gokudera growled. Before he could say a word, Tsuna spoke for himself.

"I am Vongola Decimo. Miyuki is one of my friends."

Joe snorted. "The Vongola Decimo is really a kid? I thought the rumours were joking! How can a weakling like you control the Mafia? And so what? Yeah, I hit her. I even threatened to do more. Now what are you going to do about it, kid?"

He wasn't even looking at the small boss. Gokudera, Shiki, and Tim were. Gokudera, being one of Tsuna's closest friends, noticed the anger level rise drastically like it never did before in the past year. But, Gokudera noticed, something was wrong. His boss was a bit too calm and composed.

_He's gonna pop, _Shiki thought. He rested his chin on his right palm. The brunet stepped forward. Joe pretended to finally notice him.

"Oh, there's the little pipsqueak. I was wondering where you went. You wanna fight me?"

"I never want to fight."

"Oh? Well that's too bad, because I'm in the mood to fight." Joe charged and Gokudera had his dynamites out in a flash. Sometime during the conversation and his boss' anger, he had taken out his weapons. Shiki had a calm expression on his face. Tsuna stepped to the right and stuck a leg out. Joe almost tripped.

"Juudaime!" Tsuna's eyes were slightly widened in surprise. It didn't hold any anger his aura around him said he had. He even let out a _tiny "_HIIEE," when the big fellow came at him. Now, he had his gloves in his hands, not sure whether he should use them or not. Joe was way bigger than him, and had more speed despite his weight and size. Tsuna was at a disadvantage now. The next hit from Joe decided for him. He lit his flames.

"Hoho, so that's the Dying Will Flame, huh? Not much. Pretty for decoration though," Joe said mockingly. Tsuna simply looked at him, his brows knitted together in worry.

"_Joe,"_ Shiki said in Italian. _"I have the responsibility to warn you: back down and apologise."_

"Shiki, you know I ain't gonna do that."

Shiki shrugged his shoulders and heaved out a sigh. A wolf's grin appeared on his face. "Your funeral," he said gleefully.

Joe scowled and turned back to his opponent who was not there anymore. He felt a hot slap land itself on his left cheek and searing pain. When he touched it, it stung. Tsuna had extinguished the flame on his glove, but his Vongola Ring scratched the face.

"That's for disgracing Dino-san's family with your foul talk." Joe elbowed Tsuna hard in the gut. Tsuna followed through the blow and kneed the man in the groin. The Cavallone groaned. "That's for bullying Yuki-san." Tsuna almost got a punch in the face as Joe stood up.

They fought, landing blows on one another as the other three cleared the area and stood by Shiki's desk, Gokudera included, although he wanted to help. Shiki had put a hand on Gokudera and said, "Let your boss fight his own." A crowd gathered by the door to watch.

Tsuna kicked Joe to the far corner of the room where a lot of mess lay. Stacks of paper and disorganised furniture toppled over and broke into pieces where he landed.

"That," Tsuna said, "is for everything else you did to her." With his flames, he was in front of Shiki in a heartbeat. Shiki had expected this. Tsuna's left hand came down to his face and Shiki blocked the painful karate chop with his right arm. Instead of backing away, Tsuna grabbed hold of the arm firmly.

Shiki grunted._ For such a small guy, he's strong!_

"This, is for the other pains she will have to live through; not just physically, but mentally. Do you know how hard it is to do part-time jobs, go to school, study, and finish school work, all on time to pass? She also has to worry about her father." He came out of his Hyper Dying Will Mode as he spoke.

"I want you to stop bothering her. Let her pay when she has enough money. She's not going to _steal _the money you lent her just because other people do. Yuki-san is honest and reliable. Please don't go looking for her." Shiki examined his arm. Then Tsuna did the unexpected. He moved to the window, forced it open and poked his head out.

"Onii-san! Yamamoto! I know you're down there!"

"Gak! They were following us?" Gokudera muttered curses and swear words at them. Shiki watched him. "Who is... _Onii-san... _and Yamamoto?"

"Che! They're Juudaime's other guardians. Juudaime told them to wait at his house but apparently, they didn't trust me to look after our boss." Shiki raised an eyebrow. Then he heard laughter coming from outside.

"Oi, senpai! Looks like he knew we were down here all this time! Ahaha!"

"ARRGH! AND I THOUGHT THAT WE HID OURSELVES PERFECTLY TO THE _EXTREME," _Ryohei roared. Shiki's eyebrows went higher. Gokudera slammed his forehead with a hand.

"Shiki-san, I'm very sorry to have wrecked your office!" he said with two deep bows.

"Uh... that's fine." _There wasn't much of an office to begin with anyways, _he thought. Tsuna had an amused smile on his lips, but is disappeared when he turned to Joe. "Joe-san, you okay?" He reached out a hand to help the big man up but Joe pushed it aside.

"Oi!" Gokudera started. Tsuna waved him aside and waited for Joe to get up. Once he was up, Joe felt light headed and would have fallen over if Tsuna hadn't grabbed one of his arms.

"Sorry, Joe-san, I went a little overboard," Tsuna said worryingly. Joe looked at the kid in disbelief. Once he felt alright, he shoved Decimo aside, but not as roughly this time.

"Whatever." He walked out the door, favouring his arm which got sprained on his fall. Shiki said, "Vongola, you don't have to be so nice. It was his fault, after all."

"But I injured him so much when he never had a chance to win," Tsuna said with a frown. Shiki looked at him, not believing his eyes. This small boy, about half the size of Joe, says that he never had a chance to win?

Gokudera saw the look on his face and snorted. He shoved his dynamites back to wherever he hides them and said, "I know what you must be thinking. But remember this, bastard. There's a reason why he's the boss, and we all follow him. Yes, I hate to say it, but even that idiot Pineapple-Head."

"...Pineapple-Head?"

Gokudera shrugged.

"HEY, OCTOPUS-HEAD! WHY DOES SAWADA HAVE A BRUISE ON HIS FACE?" Ryohei shouted angrily when he saw Tsuna. "WE LEFT HIM WITH YOU AND THIS IS HOW IT TURNS OUT? YOU NEED PRACTICE TO THE _EXTREME_!"

"...Octopus-Head...?" Shiki glanced at Gokudera sideways, who had his head down, face red, hands shaking uncontrollably.

"OI SHUT UP, TURF-TOP! I'M ALREADY DEPRESSED THAT I DIDN'T GET TO FIGHT WITH JUUDAIME! YOU WANT A CRACKED SKULL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? BECAUSE I CAN GIVE YOU ONE," Gokudera roared out.

"Maa, maa!" Yamamoto laughed. He stood between the two hot-heads.

"Get out of my way, baseball freak!"

"Gokudera-kun! Onii-san!" Tsuna said helplessly. "Not here!" Shiki watched with amusement.

"So..." he said. Tsuna and Gokudera turned his way at the sound of his voice. It sounded mischievous. "I've heard that Tsuna has a nickname...Dame-Tsuna, huh?"

Tsuna reddened and gave a small chuckle. "Yeah... I've had it since preschool."

Shiki shook a finger. "Hold on..." He lifted a finger. "There's Dame-Tsuna..." He lifted another finger, "accompanied by his right-hand man, Storm Guardian, I presume, Octopus-Head..." Gokudera and Tsuna widened their eyes to the extreme. They knew what Shiki was getting at. "Then you have the..." he pointed to Ryohei, "Sun Guardian?"

"_EXTREME! _HE KNOWS WHICH GUARDIAN I AM!" Shiki nodded thoughtfully and continued. "Onii-san, Sun Guardian, as Turf-Top..."

"Or Lawn-Head, it's the same thing," Gokudera muttered. He shrugged when Tsuna raised his eyebrows. If Shiki was going to make fun of him, why not Ryohei as well?

"Yes..." Shiki held up three fingers. He used them to point at Yamamoto and lifted a fourth. Obviously, the median of the group, "Rain Guardian, Yamamoto, the Baseball Freak," he said.

"Ahaha! You got that right! I love baseball!" Yamamoto laughed, unbothered by the comment. That was how easygoing he was.

"Oi! You're just making fun of us!" Gokudera slapped Shiki's arm. Shiki hissed when it hit.

"Okay..." Shiki said. "I'm guessing that Pineapple-Head is Rokudo Mukuro..." A thumb rose. Tsuna's face visibly pales.

"Sh-Shiki-san! Don't say that out loud! He'll hear you," Tsuna squeaked. His face showed terror. Shiki cocked an eyebrow.

"I-I-It's true! He's most likely right here right now! In f-fact I th-think he was here from the start!"

Shiki looked around. "There are only us and my guys at the door," Shiki said.

"No..." Tsuna said ghostly, as if he was a victim in a horror movie. "He's definitely here..."

"Kufufufufu..." came an eerie voice from the shadows. "Vongola Decimo is just as clever as he was when I first fought him." A young man just a few years older than them with blue hair and a eyes of red and blue watched then with a trident in his hand.

"Why are you here?" Gokudera demanded.

"Kufufufu. I thought that if Decimo got injured, I could possess him while he's weak and defenceless. I guess that won't happen now. I will take my leave. Until next time, Decimo." He disappeared into the mist and was gone.

"Shiki-san, do you think you can get your friends to lay off Yuki-san's back for a while?" Tsuna asked with a frown.

"Yes, yes, fine. I swear that I won't touch a single hair on her. I'll tell her she can relax a bit, but I'm telling you, Vongola, she has to return that money."

"Yuki-san borrowed money?" Yamamoto asked Tsuna. "But she... why?"

"Her father is in the hospital waiting for money to do an operation on his... I don't know. It was either his heart or his liver." Shiki shrugged. "Not my problem. But I heard that he needs the operation soon. That's what Akira tells us every time we chat.

"No way..." Tsuna said.

"Now, Vongola. Frowning doesn't suit your face," Shiki said. Suddenly, the brunet pitched forward.

"Reborn!" Tsuna grimaced without turning around. Only one person would kick him behind the neck.

"If you want to help her that much, pay for her father's operation," the hitman said. "Or you can force Shiki to do it."

Shiki was still trying to register the fact that the best hitman in the world was in his room when he said, "No way. I already paid them. They owe _me. _Not the other way around. I don't need to help her." He turned his head to Tsuna. "You help her. She's _your _friend."

"Reborn...is it possible?"

Reborn looked at his stupid student. "I already told the Ninth what happened yesterday. He already offered to pay Yuki's debt and the hospital bill if you can teach Shiki a lesson."

"EHH?" Tsuna yelped. Reborn grinned.

"It was so I can see whether you finally admit that you're the Mafia Boss. I even have it on tape. Your father will be so pleased when he sees it. I sent him and the Ninth a copy. Vongola Nono told me that he believes the Vongola will be in good hands after he retires and when you graduate from high school."

Tsuna collapsed onto his knees and heaved out a great sigh.

"Juudaime! Are you hurt!"

"Haha! Tsuna, you look depressed. Don't be! This is great news!"

"Sawada! I can't heal bruises, but I can help it stop hurting to the _EXTREME," _Ryohei offered.

"That would help," Tsuna said. "Thank you, Onii-san."

Shiki stood by and watched the scene in front of him. It looked like a warm family gathering.

"Well, Dame-Tsuna. It's time to go. You still have class work to finish, as well as preparation for the presentation you have to do with Yuki."

"Ahh! Now that you mention it... See you, Shiki-san! Gotta run!" Tsuna picked up his fallen school bag and ran for the exit. Gokudera gave Shiki a small glare and followed suit.

"It was nice meeting you, Shiki-san!" Yamamoto laughed. "I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. bye!"

"It was an EXTREME meeting!"

Shiki's office suddenly felt very empty.

"Boss, are you really going to leave her alone?" Tim asked. Shiki shrugged.

"I'm only doing this because I respect the Vongola Decimo. From what I've heard, Miyuki is just a classmate, which proves he does whatever he thinks is right for whoever he wants."

...

The next day on her way home, Yuki was stopped by Shiki, Tim, and an injured Joe. Like a doe in front of headlights, she froze. Shiki laughed.

"Yo, Akira-san. I have something I have to make clear to you," Shiki said. They walked closer. Yuki noticed that Joe looked beat up.

"Hello, Shiki-san..." She said slowly.

"First things first: we won't lay a hand on you again."

"...Huh?"

"We were told to not hurt a single pretty hair on that head of yours. You also don't have to pay us because the dude decided to do it for you when he heard your troubles. Your father is also scheduled for his operation this weekend, paid again, by the grandfather out of his own free will."

"..._What?" _Yuki was stunned. Then the words processed through her mind.

"Alright, on my count," Shiki said, "Now." The three of them bowed low. Yuki was terrified. Was this some kind of joke? She backed away a step. "We are sorry we scared you and hurt you so much," Shiki said. "You don't have to ever see me again." They turned to leave.

"W-wait!" Yuki cried. Shiki turned. She flinched, expecting a hit.

"Hn?" was the reply.

"W-Who helped me? Who is this guy?"

Shiki grinned. "Girl, you have some powerful friends." He jabbed a thumb at Joe's direction. He had a black eye, a bruised collarbone, a sprained arm, puffy cheeks with an ugly scratch, and probably a dozen more hidden by his clothes. Her eyes widened.

"But... who?"

"Your dear Vongola Juudaime did that to him when he heard what Joe did to his friend, meaning you." Shiki pointed a finger at Yuki.

"My...Von...go...la... Juudaime?" Yuki said. Vongola sounded very Italian. "Who is that?"

"Huh? You don't know? Vongola Juudaime, the next boss to lead the most powerful and influential Family in the last two hundred something years? He'll practically be in charge of the underworld."

"I don't know anyone like that!" Yuki yelped.

Shiki snorted. "You're kidding. Don't you know Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Dame-Tsuna?" Yuki said, shocked. How does Shiki know Tsuna?

"Yeah. _Dame-_Tsuna isn't so useless, is he?" Shiki snorted and waved his farewell, leaving a stunned Yuki in front of her door. After five minutes, she moved to go in. She entered her room and fell onto her bed.

"Dame-Tsuna is Vongola Juudaime? He's in the mafia?" Yuki pondered over this. "Hm. Well... he didn't look surprised when I mentioned Mafia... but he doesn't look like a boss. Hell, he doesn't look mean at all! How can he be the boss of such a big family?"

_Anyhow... he _did _help me... a lot. I can't even repay him! He... _Yuki sat up abruptly. "He beat up big JOE?" Yuki shouted out loud and her jaw hung loose. That is just not possible; she began to list the reasons why.

"Okay, middle school: he's a klutz. He trips over his own feet, drops simple things he has to carry, and gets beaten up by Hibari-san a lot. Bullies: he... he _had _bullies, but once Gokudera became his friend, they stopped bullying Tsuna that often and then they stopped entirely. Hm. How _did _Dame-Tsuna manage to become friends with such a delinquent? Then there's Yamamoto: the cool and easygoing baseball guy. Well, maybe it's because Tsuna saved his life. And then there are the Sasagawa siblings. They all hang around Tsuna. But that doesn't mean he is in the Mafia...hm..." Yuki looked thoughtful. If Tsuna was a boss... shouldn't they call him something like Vongola, or boss, or—

"Gokudera-kun...calls Dame-Tsuna...JuudAIME?" She was in for another shock. "How did I not see this earlier?" She raked her fingers through her short black hair until it stuck out at odd angles. "Gokudera-kun has been calling Tsuna Juudaime ever since the second day of middle school! Not only that... but the rest of them seem to look up to Tsuna. WHAT THE HELL HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?" she wailed. The points that she used to convince herself that he wasn't a boss did the exact opposite. There was pounding on her door.

"Yu-chan! Keep it down in there! I have to sleep!" Her mother called. She worked the night shift at a supermarket after a part time job in the Shopping District.

"Oh! Mom! I forgot to tell you!" Her mother was the splitting image of Yuki. They had the same hair, but long, with the same brown eyes.

"What is it?"

"Eh... how do I say this... there's a friend of mine who heard about dad... his family is super rich and my friend told his grandpa about it... his grandpa sort of... paid for us..."

"I know," her mother said softly.

"You do?"

"Timoteo-san, that's the grandfather, has business in Italy." _Italy, where the mafia mobs usually are in the movies, _Yuki thought, _this sort of fits. "_He called me this morning when you were in school. He told me everything that happened and that he has the hospital bill covered, as well as the money we needed to pay back." Yuki gaped. Her mother's eyes were beginning to tear up. "Make sure you thank that friend of yours good and proper! Never forget it when someone has saved a life."

"M-Mom..."

"I'm not telling you to marry him!" She laughed. "But we can never forget this friend of yours. He's the one who helped us when we needed it, although we aren't even related."

"Right. But I have no idea how to thank him." She received a pat from her mother. She fixed her daughter's hair.

"Yu-chan, you'll think of something. Timoteo-san says that his grandson is taking over the business after university. You can be his personal lawyer, with that scholarship of yours..."

"I don't have a scholarship!"

"You'll get one, my smart Yu-chan."

Yuki looked thoughtful as her mother closed the door. "A lawyer for a mafia boss...? That's like... siding with the bad guys." She shook her head. "I can't do that."

...

Tsuna was half way to school when Yuki found him. "Da... Tsuna!" _He's not the same Dame-Tsuna... Shiki-san says that he's strong. He must be, if he could beat up Joe-san. _Tsuna turned around and smiled cheerfully.

"Morning, Yuki-san!"

Yuki stopped in her tracks. Tsuna sported a large blue-ish purple bruise on his face and a band aid on his scalp.

"What happened to you?" She asked, horrified. Tsuna cocked his head. She pointed to his face. He felt it and said, "Ah, that. I sort of..." Yuki thought that Shiki was lying, but it looks like Tsuna _did _get into a fight with someone.

"Yuki-san...?"

"Thanks. I want to thank you properly, and I will think of something, no matter how long it takes... but for now, I'll just say... thanks." She blabbered and bowed. He looked confused.

"I'm talking about my problem," Yuki waved at her own face and arms.

"Oh! Eh..." Tsuna didn't expect her to find out, so he wasn't prepared for thanks of any kind. "What are friends for?"

"...Friends?"

He reddened. "U-um, if you want, we can be... friends?" he said, still smiling.

"Juudaime! Good morning!"

"Yo, Tsuna! Nice day today for baseball!" Yamamoto and Gokudera showed up behind the two.

"Good morning!" Tsuna replied.

"SAWADA! JOIN THE BOXING CLUB _TO THE EXTREME!_ LET'S GO THERE NOW!" Ryohei and Kyoko were with them.

"Morning, Tsuna-kun!"

"Ah! Morning, Kyoko-chan—Onii-san! I told you, I'm not joining the boxing club!" Tsuna began to back away.

"Tsuna!" Yuki said. She decided to drop the nickname.

"_Hai?"_ He still looked alert for Ryohei's sudden boxing fanatics.

"I'll be your friend."

"Che. What's with your sudden change of heart?" Gokudera growls at her.

"Gokudera-kun! Please stop! You're scaring her!" Yuki looked at Gokudera through narrowed eyes.

"He doesn't scare me!"

"What!" Gokudera yelled. "Look here..."

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna yelled quickly, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Sorry... Juudaime." Gokudera quickly stopped glaring. Yuki's eyebrows went up. "Anyways," Gokudera continued. "Are you going to join the family now? I'm warning you, I already took the position as Juudaime's right-hand man!" He was fired up again.

"_What! _I can't fight!" Yuki said. She had not noticed the brunet's worried gaze. No one told him that she knew.

"We can't get her involved! It's dangerous!" He said. A baby landed on his head.

"She doesn't _have _to fight if she joins the Vongola," Reborn said. "Although she should get herself familiarised with the firearms."

"A baby can _talk?" _

Reborn ignored her. "Look at Spanner and Irie Shouichi. They're your technicians and they don't fight."

Tsuna's brow twitched.

"I don't want to join the mafia," Yuki said slowly. "They're bad." Tsuna winced and shrank. He got a kick from the baby and fell to the floor. He got up and continued walking as if it was normal. "Dame-Tsuna, you better tell her about the Vongola."

He sighed. "Yuki-san, when the Vongola was first made, led by Giotto, or known as Vongola Primo, they weren't part of the mafia. They were just a group of friends who used their strength to help those without. They later on joined the mafia, but their goal was still the same. They helped those who needed it and stopped most of the families from destroying each other. It was after the second boss that they became the family with the bloodiest history."

"How can _you _be the Vongola Juudaime?" Yuki asked. "You're just a teenager."

"That's... a long story. What I wanted to say is that the Vongola Family is supposed to be a vigilant group to help the weak."

"Dame-Tsuna will make that a reality when he takes control of the Vongola," Reborn said.

"Reborn! I'm not taking control!" Tsuna complained.

"Shut up. You already admitted that you're the Boss. There's no way I'm letting you out of this. And," Reborn said with a smirk, "It's on record."

"It _is_ better that Tsuna's the boss," Yuki said, her thoughts towards the Vongola changing for the better. "If the Vongola is as powerful as you say it is, then there must be many people power hungry for the title."

Xanxus' face appeared in the Guardians' minds.

"But Tsuna is Tsuna. He will protect his friends, right?" Yuki jabbed him lightly in the ribs.

"Yeah, he'll definitely do that!" Yamamoto laughed.

"WE WILL PROTECT EVERYONE TO THE EXTREME!"

"Of course, Lawn-Head! Now be quiet!" Gokudera yelled. Yuki was startled by their sudden outbursts.

Kyoko giggled. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan. They do this all the time."

"Herbivores. Get to class." Hibari had showed up.

"HIIE! Sorry!"

"Awe, come on, Hibari, lighten up!" Yamamoto said with a wave when he passed. Hibari tried to hit him with a tonfa. Ryohei walked away with a small greeting.

"Sorry Hibari-san!" Yuki bowed and ran after her new friends.

Reborn looked after the running figure of Yuki. "A potential ally," he said to himself. So it _was _a good idea for Tsuna to help her.

...

**Two Years Later...**

After the graduation ceremony, Yuki found Tsuna alone, which was a surprise. For the past year, girls have _flocked _around him. She still wasn't used to this, because for as long as she knew him since middle school, he's been Dame-Tsuna, not someone girls would want to talk to. But something _peculiar_ happened in the second year of high school. The kid _grew. _Not just height wise, but his brain as well. And not to mention his voice cracked and his facial features got handsome.

"Tsuna," she called. He turned around and smiled with dancing eyes.

"Hey, Yuki-chan!"

"I..." She hesitated. How would she say it?

"Say, Yuki-chan, what are you doing after high school?" He always managed to start the conversation she wanted to talk to him about.

"I'm going to law school for a few years and gain some experience after that for I don't know, two years? Then..." Yuki straightened. "I'd like to work for you, Juudaime," she smirked as she called him that. Tsuna looked around them to make sure no one heard. Then he took a step closer, since she seemed to be getting onto a taboo topic. Yuki continued before she could back down, "But only if you are really innocent, Tsuna. If I get even a _sniff _that you are doing something _extremely_ illegal, I'm ditching you. Got that?"

He grinned. "Got it." Then he frowned. "Going to law school is pretty expensive, Yuki-chan..."

She raised her eyebrows. "You're not going to believe what I'm going to tell you."

"And that is...?" he pondered.

"I can go to school with a full scholarship. I won't need to worry about money for a while as long as I continue to be the top of my class, and since my dad is healthy, he got his job back, wich means I won't need to work." The brunet was still gawking at her. That expression reminded her of their middle school years so much she had to laugh.

"Yu-chan!" Her mother called.

"I have to go, _Juudaime. _See you in a few years!" She said his title teasingly and ran to her mother.

"Uh! Yuki-chan!" She turned around with a questioning look. "Good luck!"

"You bet!"

Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder.

"Well, _Decimo_. Nono wants you to go to some meetings with him to meet our business partners. It's scheduled in Italy in two days," Reborn said. He looked at Yuki and changed the topic. "I was right. Because you helped her, she's going to pay you back by becoming your personal lawyer. With her brains, she'll be the best in the business. I _knew _it was a good idea to help her." Tsuna looked at his former tutor sceptically.

"Reborn, I was going to help her anyways, whether you told me to or not. And what are you talking about? Did you know this would happen?"

He smirked. "Ever since your first year in high school and when she said that no matter what she would repay you."

"But I was just helping out a friend," Tsuna said.

"This is why you should always protect those you care for. You never know what they might do for you in return."

**THE END**

* * *

><p>I hope you liked it! I really like knowing what you all think of my stories, so if you like it, or don't like it, please tell me what it is about it that you likeddidn't like! It will help me understand what makes a good story so that future ones would be better!

Thank you all for the suport!

_**-LLM**_

_**Edited 2013-08-24th**_


	2. Vongola Sun Guardian

**Join the Boxing Club!**

_ONESHOT_

_..._

**REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT_ CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Time:** Just after the Varia Arc and before the Future Arc begins.

**Summary: **Ryouta Akio, a second year student in Nami-Middle has a brutal stepfather who abuses him and his mother on a daily bases. Ryohei tries to get him to join the boxing club.

* * *

><p>Akio winced as his stepfather beat his backside again. Then he pushed Akio away onto the floor.<p>

"I can't believe you only got a seventy-eight percent in English!" Saburo, his stepfather, yelled.

"That's considered good," Akio said defensively. He winced when Saburo pinched his arm.

"Now you're talking back to me, eh? Get out. Go do your homework!" He pushed the teen into his room and shut the door. Once he stumbled inside, Akio quickly turned to face the door. He slammed his body weight—which wasn't much—against it.

He pounded on the door. "Let me out!"

"Finish your homework first!" He heard a click and fading footsteps.

"Tch! Stupid old man. That's the best mark I got for that subject the whole year!" He sat down on his bed and dumped his bag's contents onto it while muttering to himself. He organised everything so the papers that needed immediate attention (due _very soon) _were at the top of the pile, stacked from easy to hard. He got an eraser and lead pencil and began to work while listening to music.

He continued to wage war on his homework until late in the evening.

...

The next day, he woke up at seven. He quietly packed his school bag and tested the lock. He smiled. His mother, Hakimi, unlocked the door in the middle of the night, most likely after Saburo fell asleep.

With practiced movements, he ran down the stairs without a single floorboard creaking. He listened and his keen ears picked up the snoring coming from his parents' room before looking in the kitchen. He didn't get dinner yesterday and that was a problem for him—he was a growing kid who needed food after all. He saw a packed lunch and knew it was filled to the brim with food. He carefully put it in his school bag and looked around. His mother also had a sandwich and drink for him as well as a note:

_Take care on your way out._

_-Mom_

_P.S: There's some money in the lunch box _

_for you to buy whatever you need._

He smiled again and crumpled the note. Saburo told Hakimi to not give him dinner and only a small lunch, saying it was to discipline the kid.

_He has no idea that our school Disciplinary Committee is much, much stricter, _he thought and closed the front door behind him. School didn't start for another hour or so but he left the house this early every day to avoid Saburo. As he walked to the park to eat his lunch he thought, _I'm sure he also hits mom, but she won't admit it. If only we could just ditch him. Mom says we need the money though. _Akio sighed.

"Once I have collected enough money, we won't need to stay with that man any longer," his mother told him a few years ago. It was just one year after his father had died, and they had a serious money problem. Then she met Saburo who seemed to be an "okay" guy at first. But as time passed, he became mean to both of them.

"EXTREME!" Akio looked up from his food and saw Sasagawa Ryohei jogging around the corner. He sighed. The captain of the boxing club was really strong. If only he could be that strong, he might stand a chance...he shook his head and laughed. _I can never be as good as him._

In school, he paid attention to every class and wrote down notes and suggestions on how to do things better. His teachers praised him, but they worried about his habits of falling asleep in class.

At lunch, he ate alone...which wasn't a good thing. Halfway through his lunch, bullies from third year noticed Akio holding the money his mother gave him. He was counting in his head and estimating costs and such.

"Look who's here! It's not safe to hold onto money like that! Here, I'll hold it for you!" They tried to take the money. Akio stuffed it into his pocket and stood up.

"I can hold it just fine!" he said and backed away.

One laughed. "Hey, you're not as scared of us as that Dame-Tsuna!"

Akio snapped at them, "He beat the crap out of you two weeks ago." The three bullies glared at him. It was true; out of the blue, the little brunet had stood his ground and defended himself. After that time, they stayed clear from him.

"How do _you_ know that?" the tall and lean one who was their leader asked.

"I saw," Akio said bluntly. "No one ever looks up, you know."

Tsuna was walking and talking to himself when these three suddenly surrounded him. Akio watched this in the trees hidden by the shadows. He could tell that Tsuna was scared, but he didn't shiver in fear like he usually does. He tried to talk the bullies out of it but they came at him, saying something about revenge for getting Gokudera to beat them up. The next thing was so shocking Akio might have fallen out of the tree: Tsuna dodged punches and landed his own. Then, frightened by what he did, he apologised like crazy and ran.

"I guess we have no choice but to convince you that it didn't happen that way." The one to his left kicked him in the stomach.

"Oof!"

Five minutes later, he had new cuts and bruises.

"Oi! What are you doing?" They turned to see Ryohei stomping towards them

"Stay out of this, Sasagawa!" the third bully said.

"You're fighting against someone who is weaker than you. That's not fair!"

"Yeah? Then we'll fight you instead!"

Ryohei stopped. "I promised Kyoko that I won't fight anymore," he said.

"It's not a fight; it's a challenge," Akio said from the ground through gritted teeth. Everyone knew about Ryohei's rule: he doesn't brawl. But he _does _accept challenges.

"Then it's settled! How will we do this?" Ryohei asked. He was in a boxing stance.

The three bullies charged at him.

_Do they have a death wish? _Akio wondered. _Idiots._

Of course, Ryohei had them running away with their tails between their legs. He helped Akio get up.

"Are you okay to the _extreme?"_

"Y-Yeah. Thanks."

"What's your name?" Ryohei asked.

"Oh. I'm Ryouta Akio, a second year."

"Ask me for help if they bother you again," Ryohei said. "Or you can eat lunch with me and my friends. We can protect you."

"No thanks. I'd rather eat on my own." Akio thanked him again and walked away slowly.

_Itai..._

...

Ryohei tried to do his homework with no success. He sat there with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Kyoko passed his doorway with a towel to dry her hair.

"Onii-chan, what are you doing?"

"I'm studying."

"But you're not doing anything," Kyoko said with a cocked head.

"Trust me, I'm studying."

"Hm. Okay. Don't stay up too late, onii-chan. Good night!"

"Good night, Kyoko!" Ryohei stood up. "Time for some boxing practice," he said and put his gloves on. He went towards the red sand bag.

_Hm...what was that kid's name? I forgot to the extreme, _he thought. _Ah ha! His name is Ryouta Akio. He really needs to power up if he wants to protect himself to the extreme! What should I do? _He fixed his footwork and punched the bag again. _I'll ask Master Pao Pao tomorrow. If I can't find him, I'll ask Sawada. He'll know what to do._

...

So the next day after school, he went to Tsuna's house.

"Sawada!" He slid the glass side door that led to the yard open. Tsuna was keeping Lambo and I-pin busy by playing with them.

"O-Onii-san!" Tsuna stuttered. _Not the boxing club again!_

"It's Lawn-Head!" Lambo screamed and untangled himself from Tsuna.

"Yo!"

"What brings you here?" Reborn asked. He was in his Master Pao Pao disguise. _When did he change his outfit? _Tsuna thought.

"I have a problem I wanted to discuss with you, Master Pao Pao!"

"Eh? What problem?" Tsuna was interested now.

Ryohei told them about Akio and his problem of not being able to protect himself. Tsuna frowned. Akio wasn't stupid like him, so there was no reason why the bullies should go for him out of everyone. Akio was usually alone and didn't make many friends although Tsuna knew he was a nice person.

"So what should I do?" Ryohei asked.

"Ask him to join the boxing club," Reborn said.

"HIIIEE! You can't just ask random people to join the boxing club," Tsuna shrieked.

"That's a great idea! But I usually only recruit those who show potential."

"He has potential," Reborn said. "He never gives up and does his best at everything."

"How do you know that?" _You stalker...! _Tsuna thought. Reborn punched his student.

"Ite!"

"You can train him," Reborn told Ryohei. "Train him until he becomes strong in body and mind."

"I'll do that!" He said. "Thanks, Master Pao Pao! Oh, Sawada!"

"H-Hai?"

"I still haven't given up on recruiting you yet!" He left jogging.

"That was...sudden," Tsuna commented.

"Opps," Lambo said.

"Eh?" He looked at the baby. In one hand, he held a pink grenade. In the other hand, he held the _pin _for the grenade. _"HIIIIIEEEE!"_

BOOM!

...

"_RYOUTA! JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!" _Akio was jolted out of his morning nap on the park bench. He lifted his head. It was only seven fifteen.

"Huh?" He looked around.

"_RYOUUUUTAAA!" _Ryohei screamed a mile away.

"Yikes! What the hell?" Akio exclaimed. Ryohei skidded to a stop behind the park bench.

"Ryouta, join my boxing club! I'll make a man out of you!"

"Are you out of your _mind? _Why would I want to join the boxing club?"

"Because you need to!"

"Heck no!" Akio gathered his bag and ran from this maniac. He thought he was safe but when he turned around, there he was, running after him. Akio's eyes bulged out.

"Stop following meeee!" He increased his speed, running with no destination in mind.

"He has good speed and stamina!" Ryohei said approvingly. "Your talents are wasted if you don't extremely join," he hollered, waking up all the dogs in the neighbourhood.

Yamamoto was doing his own morning jog when he saw Akio run pass the intersection, chased by Ryohei. Curious, he ran quicker to match Ryohei's pace.

"'Morning, senpai!"

"Oh, it's Yamamoto!"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm chasing Ryouta! I want him to join the boxing club to THE _EXTREME!"_

"Ahahaha! Sounds like fun! Can I join you?"

"ARG! LET'S GO!" They went slightly faster. Akio made the mistake of turning his head. His legs fumbled for a second when he saw a cheerful Yamamoto Takeshi, the baseball star of his school also chasing him.

"Stop running after me!" he cried and went faster, if that was even possible.

"Hey, he's fast! Is he in the track team?" Yamamoto asked. He repeated the question louder so it travelled to Akio's ears.

"NO, I'M NOT!_ JUST STOP FOLLOWING ME, WILL YOU?"_

"Slow down! I just want to ask you to join the boxing club!"

"No way!"

"I can help you become strong to the _extreme!" _Ryohei yelled. Akio caught his breath and then shook the thought away.

"That will never happen!"

"Anyone can get strong," Yamamoto said loudly.

"I won't! I'm hopeless!"

They ran for another fifteen minutes. Akio was breathing heavily. Why was he running away from them in the first place? He was just startled by Ryohei's appearance and then ran, but Ryohei also went after him.

Yamamoto happened to look at his watch.

"Oh, senpai! I have to change into my uniform and get my bag. So I'll see you at school. Bye!"

"YOSH!"

Yamamoto ran down a road that led to his family sushi restaurant.

...

Inside the school's outer wall, Akira turned and saw that Ryohei was still chasing him. His knees were shaking so badly now, he could hardly stand. He leaned on the wall and took in large gulps of air.

Ryoehi ran right past him and into the school, asking in a loud voice where he was.

Akio shook his head in amazement. He didn't know he could run that fast! It was pretty impressive for someone who didn't make a habit of running outside of P.E.

"Eh? Ryouta, are you alright?" Tsuna just arrived with Gokudera.

"Oh...I'm fine...just…_huff_…got chased by Sasagawa-senpai and Yamamoto-kun..." he said.

"_Ehh? _You got chased by Kyoko-chan's brother and Yamamoto?" _Didn't I just say that? _Akio thought.

"Yes, something about wanting me to join the boxing club."

"Che. That Lawn-Head is at it again," Gokudera said with a scoff. Tsuna smiled weakly.

"Well there goes the bell. We'd better get going," Akio said and trudged off.

"What's with him?" Gokudera muttered.

"Onii-san says that he's being bullied and Reborn suggested having Ryouta to join the boxing club. But it looks like he doesn't want to join," Tsuna said.

"Smart kid," Gokudera said. "Whoever stays around that idiot too long will become one as well."

"Eheheh…but I think the real reason why he refuses to join is because he doesn't think he can become a fighter…" Tsuna bit his lower lip.

"How do you know?"

"Eh? I'm not really sure. I just know." _I used to feel that way too._

"Amazing, Juudaime!"

Tsuna let out a light chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

"Yo! What are you talking about?" Yamamoto waved at as he entered the classroom.

"Good morning, Yamamoto," Tsuna greeted cheerfully.

"The Lawn-Head is trying to get someone to join his boxing team," Gokudera said.

"Oh, are you talking about Ryouta?"

Gokudera was about to ask how he knew but stopped himself before asking a stupid question. "Right—you were also chasing him," he muttered.

"I don't think senpai is going to stop after only one try. Haha!"

"You're right! He's going to bother Ryouta for a while," Tsuna said sympathetically. "I feel sorry for him."

In Ryohei's class, he was sitting down and doing arm stretches. "It's always good to be ready for anything to the _extreme!" h_e shouted. His classmates cringed at the loudness.

"Sasagawa! Class will be starting soon so settle down!" their class representative said.

"SURE!" Ryohei yelled.

"That means stop yelling!" he said. Everyone else sighed. Those two had this conversation every morning.

"I'm not yelling!" Ryohei roared.

"Yes you are!"

"NO I'M NOT!

"You are!"

"Am NOT!

"Are too!"

"I'M NOT YELLING! How many times do I have to extremely tell you so?"

"Raising your voice is considered yelling!"

"My voice isn't raised!" Ryohei objected.

"Why do you bother with it?" someone asked the representative. "He doesn't know how to talk quietly." Just then the teacher came in and they all stopped talking.

"Just don't open your mouth," the class prepresentative said to Ryohei through gritted teeth. Ryohei crossed his arms and shrugged. He listened to the teacher while thinking, _I'm going to look for Ryouta during lunch time!_

...

Akio was content with hiding in a tree as he ate his lunch. Several times, he could hear Ryohei's loud booming voice from the other side of the school.

"Doesn't he ever give up?" he wondered. "It's pointless. He can't make me do what I don't want to."

"I FOUND YOU!"

Akio yelled and fell from the tree. "What the hell," he sputtered. He was in a daze and saw only the clear, blue sky and the tree branches. Ryohei was looking down at him with a grin. He had weights on his arms and legs, most likely for more training. "How did you find me?"

"Ah…sorry, Ryouta…I told him," Tsuna's head popped into his view. He had a sheepish grin on his face. He helped Akio into a sitting position and leaned him against the tree trunk. He didn't complain, since his head was hurting so much he couldn't have done it without help.

"How did you know I was here?" Akio asked.

"I saw you the last time I was here with our senpais," Tsuna said. Akio stared at him.

"Huh?"

"The last time I was bullied? I saw you in the tree, so I thought that you might be here again."

"And _how_ did you see me hiding there?" Akio asked.

Tsuna looked puzzled. "You were hiding?"

"Whatever. Forget it."

"Ryouta! Join the boxing club!" Ryohei yelled.

"Onii-san…"

"Thanks for helping me find him, Sawada!"

Akio glared at Tsuna accusingly.

"E-Eh! Sorry, Ryouta! I wouldn't want you to have to fight and all, but if you want to avoid getting hurt so much, maybe you _should _let onii-san teach you how to defend yourself…"

Akio's gaze softened. He wasn't one to hold grudges. "That's okay," he said and sighed.

Tsuna smiled. "Could you get up?"

"I think so…" Akio stood still until he was sure his head had stopped spinning and feeling had returned to his legs. He noticed that Ryohei was waiting for an answer, but what he really wanted to do was shout some more.

"Bye!" he said and fled.

"_RYOUTA!" _Ryohei screamed.

"A-ah wait onii-san! Maybe you should just leave him alone for the rest of the day," Tsuna said quickly.

"Why should I do that? I'll be wasting time!"

"Y-You're just making him less anxious to join your boxing club," the brunet said slowly. "Let him think about it some more first."

Ryohei thought for a moment. "Hmmm…okay, Sawada! I trust you on this! But if he doesn't want to join—which is what I want him to do—he could just join our group and you can protect him!"

Tsuna paled. "No way! If he starts hanging around me, Reborn will try to make him join our family! N-No thanks, onii-san!" He backed away.

"It's not a bad idea, Sawada! He'll be under our protection. Wait up!" Ryohei was about to chase after Tsuna but stopped and crossed his arms across his chest instead.

"Hn…if Sawada doesn't want Ryouta to join our family, then I guess it's back to chasing Ryouta!" Off he went.

The next time Ryohei found Akio, it was after school. Akio was just walking home at a leisurely pace thinking about how he could help his mother earn more money. Maybe he should accept that part time job as a cashier. That thought only lasted until he reached the school gates.

"RYOOUUUUUTTTAAAA!" a now very familiar voice cried somewhere from behind him.

"Oh no," Akio muttered. He ran home.

"Ryouta, wait!" Ryohei roared.

"Not a chance. I told you, I don't want to join the boxing club!" Akio shouted behind his shoulder. "No amount of persuasion can get me to join! It's a waste of my time, which is something I already have little of!" _Considering most of my time is being spent yelled at by the man, _Akio thought grimly.

"Boxing will _save _you time!" Ryohei yelled. "Just practice a lot and then you save time!"

_What logic is this? _Akio frowned.

"Why do you want me to join boxing so much?" Akio exclaimed as he ran.

"You can protect yourself if you know how to fight!"

"I don't want to learn how to fight!" Ryohei was coming closer. Damn! What happened to that energy he had that morning?

"Sawada can help you! We can _extremely _protect you!" He said, and then remembered something. "But Sawada doesn't want you to join our family," he muttered to himself. "Damn it!"

"Sawada? You mean Tsuna? Why do you have to listen to him?" Akio asked.

Coming out of his thoughts, Ryohei heard the last bit. "I would have you join our group, but Sawada's the leader and I trust his judgement!"

Akio was super confused but decided to ignore him and focus on losing the boxer instead. He had finally arrived at his house after twenty minutes. Akio huffed and controlled his breathing. The door swung open and Hakimi stepped out.

"Where were you? I was worried sick!"

"I…had clean up duty today. I forgot to tell you. Sorry," Akio said and entered the house. Saburo was sitting on the couch with a bottle of beer.

"You little brat. How long do you think you're going to hang around outside, huh?" His slurred speech made it difficult to understand him.

"Sor-_ry,_" Akio said. Saburo growled and stood up. His mom intervened.

"He's only a little late. Calm down!" She said. Saburo glared at his wife.

"Calm down? I _am _calm! Move aside! I need to discipline him more." He shoved her onto the couch roughly. Akio's blood boiled.

"Hey," he snapped. "Don't push your own wife around."

"I can do whatever I want!" He then rammed Akio into the wall and slapped him. Akio made no sound. Saburo glared and slapped him again. Akio simply stared back. He tried to block most of the blows that were thrown at him, but many of them hit their mark. Then he unintentionally kicked Saburo in the gut. He roared.

"You little brat!" He kicked Akio down, who tried to get back up. His mother grabbed one of Saburo's arms and told him to stop but he slapped her away and she stumbled backwards. He faced Akio and hurled him at the front door.

"You don't deserve to stay under this roof! Get out! And don't come back unless you're ready to apologise!" The door slammed and locked. Akio was surprised the door hasn't broken down by now. He got up with some difficulty and picked up his bag. He spit at the door and limped off the property, planning on sleeping outdoors for the night after getting some food from somewhere. He stopped when he saw a brunet leaning on the side of this house's wall. He wore a white and orange sweater and cream coloured pants.

"Sawada?" The boy turned with a worried expression to face Akio.

"Ryouta…are you okay?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"E-Eh?" Tsuna scratched his head and grimaced. "I was just going to buy an ice cream for this kid at my house, since I lost a bet and…yeah. I just happened to pass by when he…threw you out?"

Akio snorted. "That was my so called bastard of a stepfather." He began walking towards the park, which took just five minutes. Tsuna followed.

"Do you need a place to stay? Well…not my place—we're already overflowing—but someone else's. Like, Ryohei's."

Akio looked at him, confused. Didn't Tsuna live alone with his mother? How is that overflowing?

"No. I am _not _going to stay at the Sasagawa's house. He'll bother me nonstop about joining his boxing club."

Tsuna smiled. "He also tried to get me to join the club. He still is, but he wants you to join first. So I'm off the hook at the moment."

Akio stared at him with a look that said, You've _got _to be kidding me. Akio said, "I can deal with the bullies myself."

"Ryouta," Tsuna said seriously. "This isn't about protecting yourself."

"Huh?"

"Your mother needs you. She needs you to protect her."

Akio walked on silently. Then he opened up, voicing his worse fear. "I can't do it. I'm not strong enough to face that jerk. What if I try to, and he's stronger than me? Then my mom's life will be worse than hell."

"Yes, you can beat him!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Oh—sorry."

Akio looked at him skeptically. "Maybe _you_ can, but I can't."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"I saw you fight those three a few weeks ago. You act all stupid, but you can fight."

"Th-Those was purely reflexes…I didn't want to fight them." Tsuna sweat dropped. After fighting the Varia, he was jittery every day, waiting for them to come back and finish the job. When he was thinking to himself that day and the bullies suddenly came out of nowhere, he panicked. His slave driver of a tutor, Reborn, thought it would be fun to shoot him with a Hyper Dying Will bullet, since he too was getting bored. "But that just proves that you can fight as well," Tsuna said. "If I, Dame-Tsuna, can do it, so can you!"

Akio still looked uncertain.

"Ryouta, you care about your mother, right?"

He growled. "Of course I do!"

"Then fight to protect her. Protect those who need it. That's why you fight," Tsuna said firmly. His chocolate brown eyes stared into Akio's, forcing him to believe in those words. Akio almost—_almost _stood up to run to Ryohei's house. But he stopped himself. Did he really want to? It seemed like a big bother…taking up too much of his time. Tsuna seemed to be reading him like an open book.

"My tutor drags me through hell every day during training. If you really have the determination to do something, you have to be willing to go through anything to get it."

"Y-You just…" Akio said, looking for the right words. "That doesn't sound like something you'd say, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna blushed. "E-Ehhh? I-I'm just telling you what I think—oh snap. I forgot to buy ice cream for Lambo!" Tsuna shrieked. "And Reborn wanted one too! Oh I am so dead!"

"Wait," Akio said. "I'm not going to go home today. Do you think you can fit another person in your house?"

Tsuna replied without hesitation. "Of course!"

"A-Are you sure?" Akio asked. "I don't want to be a nuisance..." Tsuna cut him off by nodding. He went to the ice cream truck and ordered double scoop chocolate fudge and two vanilla-flavoured ice creams. Akio thought for a moment and bought a chocolate mint ice cream.

"But you said that your house was overflowing…"

"Now that I think about it, three of them are babies and one is a nine year old kid. They don't take up that much room…One of them is sleeping in my room, and the other three share a room…this woman who also lives with us already took the guest room…and you _don't _want to go in there—trust me. I can put a futon in my room for you…but you have to sleep without snoring."

"I don't…but why can't I snore? Are you a light sleeper?"

"…It's not me, it's my tutor…if I move too much, talk in my sleep, or snore, he beats me up." Tsuna said this so bluntly that Akio had a hard time not believing him.

When they reached Sawada Residence, Tsuna opened the door and was met by Lambo and Reborn, who were waiting for their treats.

"TSUNA! YOU TOOK A LONG TIME!" Lambo complained.

"Ah…this is Lambo," Tsuna introduced and gave the baby cow his double scoop ice cream. "And this is Reborn…ow!" Reborn launched a foot into Tsuna's cheek. Akio backed away in surprise. Tsuna bounced back up as if the dent in the door didn't exist. He somehow managed to save the remaining two ice creams from takig a nose dive as well.

"You're late," Reborn said as he took his ice cream from Tsuna's hand.

"You didn't have to kick me!" He retorted.

"Ah…" Akio said. "Hi…?"

Reborn stared at him. "Ryouta Akio. Are you staying here tonight?"

"H-How do you know my name?" Akio asked nervously. "And how come a baby knows how to talk?"

"It's best if you don't question him too much," Tsuna whispered in Akio's ear. "He's the tutor from hell I told you about. _HIIIEEE!_" Reborn whacked a Leon hammer at his student.

"Whoa!" Akio jumped away from his fallen classmate.

"Oh, Tsu-kun! You brought a friend home?" Nana was walking towards them. "Hello there! I'm Sawada Nana, Tsuna's mother. Come in, I have some dinner left, if you're hungry!" Akio's stomach answered for him.

"Haha, go on, my mom likes feeding people," Tsuna said. He began to eat his ice cream and guided Akio towards the kitchen. Akio cautiously sat down and Tsuna leaned on the counter, rubbing his head with a smile. Reborn sat on the chair beside Akio. Lambo ran to the living room.

"Lambo! You're going to make a mess there! Eat in the kitchen first!" Tsuna chased after Lambo.

BOOM!

"What was that?" Akio asked fearfully.

"Nothing." Reborn smiled honestly.

Akio was about to have an interesting night.

...

The next day, Akio walked to school with Tsuna and was met with Tsuna's friends. Akio himself being a loner didn't miss any friends and was happy to stick with Tsuna's group until they reached school. Half way there, Ryohei and Kyoko appeared. Tsuna began to stutter and Akio snorted. Gokudera glared at him but did nothing else because Akio was walking on Tsuna's left, in front of Yamamoto. There would be two people ready to stop him if he tried to bomb the little upstart.

"Ryouta!" Ryohei exclaimed. "JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!"

"O-Onii-san! At least let him think for a day or two," Tsuna said. Ryohei frowned in confusion. What was there to think about? Boxing is boxing. You either like it or you hate it. He was sure that Ryouta likes it. Akio looked at them uncomfortably.

"…No." He said. When Ryohei opened his mouth to reply, Akio sad, "No I'm not going to join your boxing club, senpai. If I am, I know who to talk to." He sped up and left the rest of them far behind.

"So is he joining or not?" Ryohei asked them. "I'm _EXTREMELY _confused!"

"He's only joining if he wants to, Turf-Top!" Gokudera said. "It's so simple!" They began to bicker all the way to school as Yamamoto laughed and commented on some of what they said. Tsuna sweat dropped.

During lunch, Tsuna and Gokudera dragged Ryohei up to the rooftop with them. Yamamoto followed behind them, laughing at Ryohei's bewildered face.

"What is it, Sawada?" Ryohei asked when they got there. Tsuna looked up at him.

"Onii-san, you can't go screaming at Ryouta every time you ask him to join the boxing club!"

"Why can't I?" Ryohei was extremely confused. It's called energy! He has to disperse his energy or else he will get stressed out! It's always been like this ever since he was born. According to his parents, he was always the loudest baby in the neighbourhood. Tsuna shook his head.

"You…should try to talk calmly with him."

"Calm? I'm always calm!"

Gokudera face palmed. "YOU IDIOT! STOP…_shouting," _Gokudera said, making the difference in volume obvious. He was only doing this for Tsuna's sake. He couldn't care less about what happened to Ryouta Akio.

After school, Akio decided to go home. Ryohei accompanied him. How did this happen?

**_-Flashback-_**

"Ryouta," Ryohei called from behind Akio. He jumped in surprise. How the hell did Ryohei come up behind him so quietly? Well, not that he can't do it...it's just that Akio usually had some type of warning like, _"RYOUTA! JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!"_ or running footsteps.

"W-What?" Akio asked suspiciously. He saw Tsuna and his two friends walking away from school, not even looking at their direction. _Should I run for help? Sawada seems to understand how I feel and he can control Sasagawa-senpai,_ Akio thought. But Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were totally ignoring him and were walking out of sight. This confused Akio dearly.

"Oi, Ryouta," Ryohei said. "I want to talk to you." Akio was starting to think that the world was coming to an end. He had just finished watching the movie _2012_ a while ago, and maybe the end of the world is a year early? Ryohei wasn't shouting! He was actually talking like a _normal person_.

"Sure…?" Akio said hesitantly and began his walk home. Ryohei followed him silently. It was only when they were outside of school property did Ryohei become half his usual self.

_**-Flashback End-**_

"Ryouta! I want to extremely explain to you why joining the boxing club is good," he said strongly, although not at the level of his usual screaming. Akio decided that he liked this Ryohei better than the lunatic version, so he nodded his head and said, "So…how are you going to try and convince me?"

"First, if you don't do boxing, it's a waste of your talents."

Akio raised his eyebrows. "Uh-huh…and what may those talents be?" he asked politely.

"I have extremely noticed that you have amazing reflexes!"

Akio snorted. "Anyone can have that. I don't see you trying to get them to join."

"But you are extremely different!"

Akio growled silently in frustration. He _hated _being singled out. "Not only are you quick, you are also determined enough to get what you want! You are brave!"

"Am not."

"Yes you are! No one has ever out run me before!" Ryohei said surely. "_No one!"_

"Huh?"

"When I first asked you to join the boxing club," Ryohei said as they passed another street. He was actually making progress! "You ran away."

"Or course I did!"Akio said. "Who wouldn't? You were acting like a maniac!"

"Not only did you run away, you were running away _fast!"_ Ryohei concluded. Akio stared at him. _Nothing he's saying is connecting to the other. He's just saying random points that appear in his head!_

"I don't want to fight," Akio said. They were nearing his house now.

"Boxing doesn't have to be about fighting all the time!"

"You're fighting for fun. It will be wasting my time. I have better things to do."

Ryohei stopped abruptly. "I'm not fighting for fun," he said seriously. Akio was about to run, not believing his luck but he paused when he heard that tone of voice. Until then, his senpai's voice was plain loud. Now it was _much, much _calmer and serious. His eyes told Akio that he had seen things that made him believe that boxing was no joke.

"I fight to protect my friends!" Ryohei declared. Akio snorted, thinking he was talking about protecting them from the daily bullies, not deadly Mafiosi. _But he does have a point, _Akio thought grumpily. Fighting _could _help counter his stepfather. _Maybe I should try it out. _Then something caught his attention.

"What's that?"

Ryohei scratched his head. "What?"

"That…scar on your brow. How'd you get it?" His curiosity overruled his anxiety to go home.

"Oh! I got it when I was in elementary school! These middle school bullies were picking on my little sister! I had to save her from them, but I got hurt instead!"

"They hurt you so much that it left a scar?" Akio demanded. "What kind of people were they?"

"This is nothing! I've been in more extreme fights than that one! Besides, I couldn't let them hurt my dear little sister, not even if I die! That goes to all my friends!" he said resolutely.

_Not even if you die? _Akio thought. His heart began to pound a different beat, one that he has only felt once before: when he was talking to Tsuna about the same topic.

"I'll think about it," Akio finally said when he realised Ryohei was jumping with impatience. "If I decide to join, I'll tell you tomorrow. Before school."

Ryohei instantly stopped and screamed. _"YOSH! _You can find me in the boxing room! SEE YOU THERE TOMORROW, RYOUTA!" He ran off, leaving a startled Akio standing in front of his house. He blinked twice and shook his head. He'd better get used to that loud voice.

"I'm home," he called. His mother greeted him. His heart ached when he saw a bruise on her arm. She quickly pulled her sleeves lower when she saw him staring.

"Dinner's ready. Put your bag away and you can eat."

"Hai."

They were the only ones eating at the table. Saburo was in the living room, watching the sports channel.

"How was school today?" She asked him. He thought of Ryohei and the boxing club.

"Hm…Nothing much, a bit different than usual. I also met a few other people I would usually never talk to. They're an odd bunch."

"That's great!" She smiled brightly. Akio lifted his head in surprise.

"What? Why is it great?"

"I noticed that you seemed happier these days," she said. "You seemed more excited about school." She laughed at her son's shocked face.

He found school fun? Akio would have never thought. Did he really consider being chased after by Ryohei _fun? _

"Mom," he was about to ask her opinion about joining the boxing club when her husband said, "Hey! Akio! Get me another can of beer!" Akio sighed in frustration and decided that he'd talk to her about it later. He went to do as Saburo wanted, to avoid another beating. After getting away with only a bruise on his side, he went to help Hakimi with the dishes. She started to talk to him about various things and he soon forgot about his problems. His mother had that effect on him. She was so happy all the time, even when she had to stay at home the entire day with that brute. She shooed him out the kitchen and into his room afterwards.

He had finished his homework during lunch when he hid from Ryohei, so there was nothing for him to do. He fell onto his bed holding the pillow, pondering. He looked at his fists.

_They don't look like fighting hands… _he clenched it. _Not much strength in it either._ He rolled around in bed and closed his eyes…

"Akio!" His mother was at his doorway. His eyes instantly opened to see that it was dark outside.

"Hn…"

"Take a bath and change your clothes before going to bed!" she scolded.

"Oh…sorry about that," he climbed off the bed. "I just dozed off."

She smiled softly at him. "Get enough rest, dear. You're still a growing boy." She cocked her head and giggled.

"What's funny?" He asked as he got his pajamas out.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that your father…he used to always say that he was still a growing boy whenever he ate everything I cooked," she said. Akio recalled the memories of his dad, a big, happy man who loved them dearly. "Maybe it was also because of what he did for a living," she commented. This caught Akio's attention. He had never wondered about where their family income came from, and after his father had died, he never brought up the subject in fear of saddening his mom.

"What did he do?" he whispered.

"He was a professional boxing player," she said. Akio cringed and sat on his bed. _HE WAS A WHAT! _"And he would also travel to many different countries that held the competitions."

"He traveled a lot?" Akio wondered. "No wonder I don't always see him…and gosh, no wonder he was so darn strong."

She chuckled. "I never really liked his career choice, though."

"W-Why is that?" His mother didn't like boxing…maybe he shouldn't join…

"A lot of times, he came home with many injuries! There was once he had to stay in the hospital for days, all because he was trying to stop a fight between two drunken men. One of them pulled out a gun and accidentally shot him." Akio's eyes boggled. "It missed his heart. But…I guess his luck ran out two years later…" Akio looked to the ground.

"Anyways," he looked up to see her wiping tears from her puffy eyes. "Get ready for bed. There's another big day tomorrow."

After the bath, he was about to open the washroom door but what he heard froze him on the spot: a slap—and a gasp. He rushed out and went down the stairs three at a time, almost falling flat on his face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Akio screamed at Saburo. He turned and sneered. Akio could tell that he was drunk.

"And who have we here? Your son is playing the knight in shining armour? Don't make me laugh." He left go of her and strides towards Akio who gulps. At least his mother's not in danger anymore, was his only thought. He got punched in the face.

_Ow…_he wasn't about to whimper. That would only give Saburo the satisfaction he wanted. He glared at the man instead. That earned him another punch. He dodged the third one.

"You lil' brat!" Saburo winced as he examined the fist which hit the wall instead of a face. Then he pulled back for another hit but clutched his head instead.

_Too drunk? _Akio wondered. He was right. Saburo threatened him one last time before heading off to bed, telling Hakimi to sleep in the living room instead. Akio looked at his crying mother and went to comfort her. He placed an arm over her shoulders as they sat on the floor.

_Never mind, _Akio said. _I'm definitely joining the boxing club, if only to beat the crap out of that bastard._

...

Akio stood outside the boxing club's door. Through this door, he could hear a certain boxing fanatic yelling encouragements to himself. Akio shifted nervously, wondering if he really wanted to do this.

_No, I must. For my mom, _he thought. _But will it turn me into a loud mouth like Sasagawa-senpai? _He stepped back from the door when he thought that. It will be too embarrassing! He took deep breaths and decided to open that damn door. Once he did, the volume instantly increased a tenfold.

"_PUNCH TO THE EXTREME!" _He heard. The rest of the room was empty from club members because there was no practice today, although Ryohei practiced every day.

"Uh…Sasagawa-senpai?" he said but it was lost in the extremeness of the room. He cleared his throat.

"Sasagawa-senpai!" he yelled.

"_EXTREME! EXTREME! EXTREEEME!" _With every word, Ryohei punched the sandbag which looked ready to retire.

"SASAGAWA–SENPAI!" Akio screamed at the top of his lungs. Ryohei pauses and turns his sweat-soaked body around.

"RYOUTA! YOU EXTREMELY CAME!"

"Y-Yeah…I thought about what you said, and—" Ryohei cut him off.

"Let's get started! Remove that bag! Did you bring a change of clothes?" he yells. Akio nods slowly. "Then hurry up and get changed! We have an hour before class starts and I want to see what you can do!"

Once Akio was changed into a blue shirt and black shorts, Ryohei equipped him with a pair of red boxing gloves that fit him perfectly. They stepped into the ring. Ryohei stood in front of the boy, grinning. He was about as tall as him, which suited Ryohei perfectly because it's much easier to teach someone who was the same height—or so his mind told him.

"Right! Throw a punch at this!" Ryohei gestures towards the two pads he held in a blocking position.

"Eh…" Akio mutters before doing so.

"Stronger!"

Punch!

"STRONGER!"

PUNCH!

_"STRONGER!"_

_PUNCH!_

This goes on for another ten minutes, which was when Akio was beginning to sweat.

"Hm…you need to work on your punches to the _extreme!" _Ryohei commented. "They're slow and weak." Akio didn't expect to be good at boxing on the first try, but to hear him say it so bluntly hurt his feelings.

"I have an extreme idea!" Ryohei exclaims.

"Huh?"

Ryohei jumped over the ring and landed on the floor. He went towards a door. He turned the knob and many boxing related things crash into him.

"EXTREME! I NEED TO CLEAN THIS PLACE UP!" he commented. Akio takes this time to catch his breath and drink half a bottle of water. His hands were shaking from the small exercise they just did. What was the boxer up to? He was "swimming" his way through the stuff and was soon out of sight. He heard mumbles like, "no, that's not it. Not that either. So _that's _where it went, huh? I'd better give that back to Mochida. Hm! I didn't know we had that! EXTREME! I FOUND THEM! I thought I lost these forever!" He emerged out of the storage room with some objects Akio didn't recognise.

"What's that?" He asks when Ryohei climbs back into the ring. He tossed the equipment at Akio.

"Here! Wear this on your wrists and ankles!" Akio examined the things. He pulled at the Velcro strap and the wrist band flattened, revealing a nicely padded inside and a smooth, white outside.

"What…?"

"They have small weights in them! Wear it on you for the _whole _day! Never take it off! _Never!"_

"_Never?" _Akio repeated. "But why?"

"It's weight training! Not extreme, but it will be!" Ryohei yelled. He thought that explained everything but by the look on Akio's face, it didn't.

Akio shrugs and straps them on, and then the ones for his ankles which were slightly bigger. He jumps to his feet and moves his body. There wasn't anything different except for the feeling of the extra accessories on him.

"…Thanks," he says. "I don't think this will help me though…" Ryohei punches the air.

"Don't worry! It extremely will! Trust me!"

"Right."

"Here! These two balls are for you to squeeze to strengthen your grip! Now let's see how you dodge!" Ryohei suddenly said.

"We aren't done yet?"

"Of course not!" He showed Akio the proper blocking position, but Akio ended up just dodging like how he always does.

There was a very big difference between his offensive and defensive moves, Ryohei noticed. He is much better at avoiding attacks than throwing his own. Ryohei swung at Akio's gut but he stepped back quickly.

"Not bad! Keep it up!" He feints a punch on Akio's right side and goes for the left instead. Just as quick, Akio avoids the blow. _This is easy, _he thought. _I can do this._

Half an hour later, Akio danced around without receiving a single hit from Ryohei.

_Any moment now! _Ryohei thinks. _There! _Akio's leg falters and lands short from where it was supposed to be, which shortened his jump. Ryohei's fist connected with a cheek. Even though he was going "easy" on the kid, it was still going to bruise.

"What the—?" Akio exclaims. "I'm sure I avoided that!" He looks at his own legs which had suddenly felt heavy, refusing to move how he wished.

"It's the weights!" Ryohei said. "As you move, they feel heavier! Now, let's work on your footwork! You can't keep on jumping back from your opponent! It wastes energy and leaves yourself wide open!" He began to show Akio the proper ways of standing in a way that will have him perfectly balanced and can move with only a split second's notice That took twenty minutes before Akio got the hang of it and collapsed on the ground.

"Next week we'll be adding another weight to it! We'll keep adding until I'm satisfied with your punches and footwork! Keep those legs moving! Do morning runs!"

"Morning runs?" Akio cried. "But I need to sleep! I don't have time to sleep at home!"

"Why not?" Ryohei asked, confused. Akio opened his mouth to answer but quickly shuts it. He could bet that Ryohei never had a problem with sleeping. But _he_ did. Always constantly worrying about how the next day would be, how Saburo would abuse him, and how much the bruises given to him that night pained him. He would have never experienced that before.

"Morning runs!" Ryohei says firmly. "You have good stamina, but we're going to make it _extremely better!"_

Akio sighs in resignation. Suddenly, something whacks his head.

"Gaak!" He looks up. What he sees puzzled him to no extent.

"Kora! Who's this weakling?" the baby wearing military clothing asked. He was suspended in the air by a hawk…

"Master! He's someone I'm training!" Colonnello smirks as Ryohei.

"You think you're good enough to become a tutor, kora!"

"I can teach him how to fight!" Ryohei said passionately.

"Uh…what's going on?" Akio asked in a small voice. Nonetheless, Colonnello heard him, and lands on the ground. He walked towards Akio, who was sitting with his legs outstretched. Colonnello studies him for a full two minute. Ryohei stands by curiously, not understanding what's going on.

Colonnello's eyes widen slightly as if with recognition when he finished his staring. "You're…" He shook his head and any trace of shock on the Arcobaleno's face was erased. Akio cocked his head in confusion.

"Master!" Ryohei said excitedly. "Did you come to tell me something to the EXTREME!"

"Right. Apparently, Bianchi is planning on proposing to Reborn. She wants to marry him but I don't think that Reborn will agree with the plan."

"THAT IS EXTREME! IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO?"

"Hmph. No, since you'll be training this weakling, you won't have time to help. I'll find someone else, kora!"

"Alright!" Ryohei agreed, not even a little offended. "Good day, Master!"

"You too, kora! Good luck with your training, Akio! You'll do just fine…" The seagull grabbed his hair again and they flew off.

"Th-That…who the hell was that?" Akio asked shakily. A baby talking…the world is coming to an end…it must be.

"That was my extreme master!" Ryohei said proudly. Akio nodded slowly.

"I…uh…school will be starting soon…so…" Akio stood up.

"OH YEAH! YOU CAN GO, AKIO!"

"A-Akio?"

"If Master calls you Akio, then so will I! Besides, I get confused with your name and my name!"

"Eh?" Akio said stupidly. _Wait…how does that baby know my name in the first place?_

"You know!" Ryohei said. He pointed to himself. "_Ryo_hei, _Ryou_ta? Get it?" He grinned from ear to ear.

"I…didn't realise that…" _Not that it matters...? h_e thought.

"You better go get changed to the extreme if you don't want to be late!" Ryohei exclaimed, totally forgetting the conversation.

"R-R-Right!" Akio ran to have a quick shower to wash off the scent of sweat and changed into his Nami-chuu uniform before Hibari the prefect could catch him and beat him up for not wearing it.

He waved at Ryohei who was drinking from a bottle of water and slid the door open. He closed it and bumped into Hibari who was doing his rounds. He narrowed his eyes.

"H-Hibari-san!" Akio exclaimed. He backed up as the prefect approached, examining his uniform.

"Herbivore. What are you doing in this part of the school?" Hibari knew that this part was mostly deserted because of the boxing captain who was really loud. He wouldn't have expected to see a herbivore loitering about _here _of all places.

"I uh…I was…" Akio stuttered. He raised both hands in surrender, to show Hibari he meant no harm to the school. His dress shirt sleeves slid down an inch to reveal the wrist bands. Hibari saw it immediately.

"Herbivore," his voice became colder. "Excess accessories are not part of the uniform. You are forbidden to wear that in school grounds. I will bite you to death."

"Ah!" Akio exclaimed what Hibari produced two gleaming tonfas. "I-I can't remove them!"

"You will remove them. And then I will bite you to death." He swung one tonfa at Akio and he dodged it swiftly, his body still alert because of the session he had with Ryohei. Hibari's eyebrow rose significantly as he mused. There's a weak looking herbivore other than Sawada Tsunayoshi that can fight against him? Interesting… He threw the tonfa at the boy again and narrowed his eyes as Akio dodged.

"You see, Hibari-san…" Akio said quickly as he dodged another blow that trimmed off a few strands of his hair, "Sasagawa-senpai told me to never take them off!" Hibari paused in mid attack.

"That Sun herbivore?" he said in a slightly questioning tone.

_Sun herbivore? _Akio thought of a shining Ryohei. _It…works… _He nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah. He told me to not take them off because it's training!"

"Why is he training you?" Hibari asked sharply. Were they recruiting people to take over the school—to overthrow his committee? It would never happen, but it would be best to stop all attempts before they could happen.

"T-To protect myself…?" Akio answered weakly. Hibari's eyes narrows again.

"Hn." His pair of tonfa drop to his sides. Akio stayed there, wondering if he was off the hook. Suddenly, Hibari's hand shot out and grabbed Akio's left wrist. He stared at the white wrist band, which he now realises, are wrist weights. He glances down at Akio's shoes and uses a tonfa to brush the pant leg aside. He sees black coloured ankle weights. They were really light though. Hibari smirks. He'll have someone new to fight against. After fighting against a horse and his whip for a week, he was getting bored. He needed new opponents. He'll let this herbivore train and see whether he can become a stronger herbivore… He lets go and turns around so Akio won't see the bloodlust in the his eyes.

"Don't let me see you wearing anything else other than those. You won't have another warning."

"You're…not…going to bite me to death…?" Akio asks. Hibari turns back around with stony grey-blue eyes.

"I never said that."

_HFQI!IUR^%$%^FIEGFLWF!_

...

Akio arrived in class five minutes late. The entire class turned their heads towards the door, knowing what to expect: a bruised and battered face which would be swollen in a few more minutes. What they _didn't _expect was Ryouta Akio, the boy who usually didn't get into trouble, walk in with such a face.

"M'kay," he reassured his classmates sluggishly.

"R-Ryouta-kun…" his teacher said kindly, "go visit the infirmary please…and get that treated."

"Hai, sensei…" He stepped out of the class and quietly closed the door behind him.

...

The following week was more or less the same. Every morning he and Ryohei would go for morning jogs before heading for school; not to _go _to school, but to practice. The weights on is arms and legs slowly increased and they no longer bothered him. He would also somehow accidentally find ways to annoy Hibari, which got him beaten up on a daily basis. He had to run away most of the time to avoid too many injuries, or to simply move away from the attacks if he had nowhere to run to; he didn't dare fight back for fear of angering the prefect even more. As the weeks wore on, his fighting skills began to improve and he gained fewer injuries from Hibari. Ryohei had him lifting weights now, as well as actual boxing. Although Akio planned on only learning the basics of boxing to fight off meanies, he ended up learning more about the sport and more complex moves. One day after school, Akio asked Ryohei how he thought he was coming along.

"YOU'VE EXTREMELY IMPROVED!"

Akio looked disappointed. He never got a better answer than that. He wanted to know _how _he improved, by how much, and what was different.

Then their school had a two week long holiday. Ryohei insisted that he keep up with his practice.

"But I need to study!" Akio protested.

"STUDY IN YOUR HEAD!" Ryohei said. "I DO THAT ALL THE TIME!" Akio sweatdropped. Hell no, he was _not _following Ryohei's example. But he soon figured it out. As he practiced boxing, he would stick notes on the sand bags so he could memorise them while practicing. With the beat of the pounding and the words, he ended up finding it easier to study this way. He soon began to chant out complicated things in math, science, and English.

His stepfather was also away from home, saying that he was doing some business. Ryouta suspected that he…wasn't. At least he'll be out of their lives for another week or so.

He was muttering the periodic table of the elements one morning when he almost bumped into a brunet with spiky hair.

"R-Ryouta!" Tsuna exclaimed. He was surprised that he didn't fall to the ground. That was probably because Akio avoided the Vongola boss the moment his eyes registered something blocking his path.

"Oh hey, Sawada. What are you doing so early in the morning?"

Tsuna let out a weak chuckle. "Erm…My, ah…my tutor…he's forcing me to run laps because I failed my math quiz…again."

Akio blinked. "That's one crazy tutor you have there," he commented.

_You have no idea, _Tsuna thought. The night Akio had stayed over, Reborn had restrained himself from being too violent—which meant Tsuna went to bed looking like how a natural humanbeing should be. He looked behind his shoulder and swore he saw a gleam—Leon in gun form, most likely. He let out a small shriek.

"I have to run! See you at school!" He ran off.

"Bye…?"

_Eh? He looked kind of different, _Tsuna thought as a bullet whizzed by a few millimetres from his head. He shook his head. _It's probably nothing. And I should be concentrating on Reborn's torturous training!_

_..._

Once the holiday was over, Ryouta was _glad. _Now he won't be forced to practice boxing for the entire day, although Ryohei never saw the problem. When he arrived in class, heads turned to look at him twice. He noticed instantly.

_What? Is there something on my face? _He touched it to make sure. There _wasn't _anything on his face, so why were they gaping at him—the girls in particular. This was getting freaky. Was it some kind of joke he wasn't aware of?

"R-Ryouta…is that you?" someone asked.

"Er…yeah?" he replied. The girl wides her eyes.

"You look so_ different!"_

Akio stepped back. Different? He looked at himself. _Oh, _he thought. Akio had been so used to his own body he hasn't really noticed that he lost all the baby fat he ever had, replacing them with muscles. _But it shouldn't show, right? After all, I'm wearing layers of clothing. _He shrugged and smiled slightly.

"…I guess I should say thanks…" He sat down at his seat, trying to ignore the shocked stares directed his way. At lunchtime, he ate alone in a tree. He thought about his studies and boxing. So far, he only had to use it a few times to warn the bullies to _never_ bother him again. After those matches he had with Ryohei, they seemed like nothing. He continued to eat, but Ryohei suddenly yelled for him. He fell out.

"Ouch…" He rubbed his back.

"Akio!" Ryohei shouted, even though they were only a metre apart.

"What?" he asked, irritated.

"Meet me in the boxing room after school today!"

"You didn't need to tell me," he grumbled and packed up his empty bento. Ryohei ran off to do something else after that.

Being the curious person he was, he went there right after the bell rang.

"Ryohei-senpai? You in here?"

"YOU'RE EXTREMELY HERE!" Ryohei exclaimed. "Come in!"

"Em…What, exactly?" He asks as he tosses his bag onto a chair.

"Are you still wearing the weights to the extreme?" Ryohei asks.

"Yeah, you told me to, didn't you?"

"Take them off."

"Huh?"

Ryohei urged him to take them off, so he does, without question. Hanging out with the boxing maniac, he learned that he won't be receiving answers right away. The weights thumped to the floor heavily. Akio's arms suddenly felt so light he had to double check to make sure he still had them.

"Shoot! I feel so good now."

"Get ready," Ryohei said. Akio bandaged his arms and had a quick match with Ryohei. He was surprised by his own speed and strength. He was used to fighting with the weights on, so he treated his punches like they were. This meant that his punches were actually a third stronger and faster.

They stopped after three minutes.

"That was _extreme, _Akio!" Ryohei gave him a hard slap on the back. He tipped forward slightly.

"That was amazing!" Akio said. He was so excited he was jumping up and down with a goofy grin on his face. Ryohei was just as pleased with his progress.

"Keep practicing, Akio! And remember your strength! And only fight to protect!" Ryohei "lectured". Akio nodded, not really listening, but he already knew those rules.

"Thanks, Ryohei!" He said without the honorific. Ryohei grinned. "I'd better get home. Thanks a ton!" He grabbed his bag and ran out the door.

Once he was at his door, he managed to calm himself so he didn't look like he was high on drugs or anything.

"Mom, I'm home!" he hollered.

"Brat," a raspy voice growled. He froze. Was he supposed to be coming back today? He turned to the living room, where his parents were seated across from each other.

"What's…going on?" he asked nervously.

"None of your business," Saburo snaped. "Go to your room!"

Without arguing, he does so. He stomped up the steps and slamed his door close. _What the heck is going on? h_e wondered. After tossing his bag on his bed, he slowly opens his door again and pauses. He goes back into his room and opened the lowest drawer. He looks around the shirts and finds what he was looking for: a pair of worn out boxing gloves. They belonged to his dad, and his mom gave it to him a week ago. He didn't use it yet, but when he had them on, he felt invincible. It was as if the gloves had these powers in it…like it has been through many fights. The things that confused him the most was the tag in the inside. It had his father's name, and on the other side, an engraving of a clam. Why of all things, a clam? Akio never figured out why. He held the gloves in one hand and shut the door quietly. He tiptoed down the creaky steps and leaned against the wall to hear the conversation.

"I just need some money," Saburo started. Hakimi interrupts him.

"What for? Didn't you go to do _business?" s_he asked. Akio almost choked. Was his mom—_his _mom, playing the tough one this time? He put on the gloves. He didn't want to send Saburo to the hospital just yet. That would mean they would have to pay for the medicine.

"Don't you go taking that tone of voice on me!" he shouted. "Just give me the money!"

"No!" she exclaimed, also standing up. "It's _my _money, and you're just going to spend it on beer and other useless things!"

"Give me the damn money, woman!" he screamed. Akio tensed as he recognised the movement of the arm. He quickly ran to his mother's aid and intercepted the hit with an arm, glaring at the older man, who was startled.

"What the hell are you doing, kid! Get out of the way!" He used the other hand to punch Akio's stomach, but Akio shifted his weight to his right foot and the blow glances off. He punched Saburo in the face.

"Don't…yell, or hit, or threaten my mom…again," Akio said, taking in deep breaths. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hakimi staring at him with either awe or shock.

"So... You've taken up boxing, eh?" Saburo said, wiping his mouth. "You think that just because you've taken a few classes, you will be able to defeat me?" Akio became unsure of himself. _Am I actually strong enough to beat him?_

He soon found that out after three minutes. He stood over Saburo who couldn't even get up.

"Akio…" his mother whispered, "since when…since when did you learn boxing?"

He showed her a guilty face. "I started learning a while ago, after you told me dad used to do professional boxing."

"I'll get you for this!" Saburo promised. "I'll have you beaten up so much you won't be able to walk!"

Hakimi gasps at this threat.

"You can't beat me," Akio said. "That's a fact."

Saburo grimaces. "Yeah? Well how do you like the idea of being hunted by a mafia family for the rest of your life, eh? You won't be able to escape that!"

"Mafia?" Akio repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Saburo laughs weakly at them. "I might as well tell you now. I am in the Todd Famiglia! I have friends who won't hesitate to help me deal with you." Akio looked around nervously, then back at Saburo, who had his phone out.

"Hey, help—" Akio knocked the phone away quickly. He took off the gloves to have a better grip.

"Saburo! You won't really do that, would you?" Hakimi exclaimed.

"The hell, sure I will! And you can do nothing about it! You'll be hunted by a Mafia Family and no one can save you from that!" He cackled a horrible laugh. Two people barged in. They were wearing black, with evil grins on their faces.

"Yo, so this is your wife and kid?"

"He ain't my kid," Saburo said. Akio let go of the man and backed away. They laughed at his nervousness.

"Whatever. We were getting bored with nothing to do in this little town," the bigger one of the two said. The other didn't look too sure.

"Let's hurry up and get outta here," he muttered. The first one snickered.

"What? You scared of the police?" The second one gave his partner an annoyed glare.

"Namimori is the home to the tenth Vongola Boss, you twit. He even beat _Xanxus! _We're on his turf now. I heard that his Guardians are strong."

Akio had no idea what they were talking about. But Namimori was controlled by a mafia gang? _Then why hasn't Hibari stand up and fight against them already? _Akio thought madly.

"Che. Fine. Let's do it." They faced the teenager. "You hear us, kid? If we don't do something about you soon, the Vongola Family will go after you anyways!"

_Vongola, _Akio thought. _Clam. _How did he know this? It just so happened that Ryohei brought him out to eat Italian one day as a treat. The only thing he did as the waitress stood over at their table was mumble over something. Apparently, he didn't know anything about Italian dishes. Then he suddenly said,

"_VONGOLA!" _The entire restaurant stopped and stared.

The waitress blinked and said, "What kind…sir?"

"Any!"

"Okay…your orders will be here soon…" She quickly walked towards the kitchen.

"Uh…Ryohei-senpai, what's Vongola?"

"Hmm! Sawada told me that it was clam in Italian!" Ryohei had yelled. "Or at least I think he did. I hope you like clam to the _extreme!"_

"It's fine…" Akio had said.

_Vongola….clam…hang on…dad's gloves has a clam on it…_ he shakes his head subconsciously. _It must be a coincidence. _

"Hurry up," the second one told the first one. The first one scowls and approaches Akio.

"Remember, brat. It was the Todd Famiglia who defeated you!"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" someone screamed. The entire house rattled. They looked to the doorway. Akio's eyes bulged out.

"Ryohei!" The boxer stepped in and punched the second man. He stared at the first man intensely.

"What the hell!" The second one said from the floor. "Who are you! How dare you hit me, a member of the Todd Family?"

"Todd?" Ryohei repeated. "What's that? Some other team?"

"We're a mafia fmaily, not some team!" the first one growled. "Now if you don't want to get in trouble, get out!" Suddenly, a baby with an elephant costume jumped onto the sofa.

"You can't beat that kid up," the squeaky voice sayid, referring to Ryouta.

"Master Pao Pao!" Ryohei exclaimed. _That's the baby from Sawada's house…_ Akio thought and sweat dropped.

"I can beat that kid up with my eyes closed!"

"You can't beat him up," Reborn said again. "He's under the protection of the Vongola Decimo and his Guardians—which means if you hurt the boy, you have the Vongola to answer to." This made the Todd members back away. But Saburo spoke up.

"You're kidding. You are a baby. You can't make me believe that the brat's in the Vongola Family! They will never take him in!"

"I didn't say he was in the family," Reborn said. "I just said he was under the _protection _of the family. So, if you harm him, you're as good as dead."

"We need proof!" The second one blurted out. Reborn took out a piece of paper with a Dying Will seal at the top. On it, scrawled in a quick handwriting and a signature, said,

_Ryouta Akio and Ryouta Hakimi are under the protection of Vongola Decimo._

_If anyone harms them in any way, they will not go unpunished._

_**-Vongola Decimo **_

_And his seven Guardians_

The short letter seemed to convince them and they began to feel uncomfortable. Then they noticed the ring Ryohei wore proudly on his middle finger. The Vongola Ring of the Sun…for the Sun Guardian. This…was the Sun Guardian. That was enough to have them running, and never come back.

"R-Ryohei…you saved us," Akio sighed with relief and slid to the floor. Ryohei grinned at him.

"It wasn't me who saved you!" he said. Akio was confused.

"Oh! This…Vongola Decimo person! Who is he? I have to thank him!"

"You already _extremely _met him!" Ryohei shouts.

"W-hat?"

"Sawada! He's the leader of our team!"

Akio stared in shock. His brain had yet to process this piece of unexpected information. Ryohei and Reborn were talking with each other as Akio sat there.

"How did you get the flame there?" Ryohei asked. He tried to touch it and felt a small bit of warmth that reminded him of Tsuna.

Reborn grinned. "I had to force him to do it," he said. Ryohei nodded thoughtfully.

The "seven guardians" wasn't Reborn's idea though. He never considered Chrome a Guardian, but simply a stand-in for Mukuro. Tsuna _refused _to put six, claiming that Chrome had just as much right to be a Guardian as Mukuro or anyone else. After all, she fought with them in the Ring Battle.

"Although this doesn't count because he's not technically the boss yet. So it's actually illegal." Reborn shredded the paper using Leon. The Dying Will Flame winked out of existence once the chameleon extinguished it. "Ryohei, stay here with Akio. I'm going back home for Mama's dinner.

"LEAVE IT TO ME, MASTER PAO PAO!"

After Akio and Hakimi calmed down, Ryohei approached them.

"Oi, Akio! Don't show fear in front of an enemy! And never back down from a fight when you have something to fight for!" His pupil nodded his head slowly. Ryohei frowned in concern.

"What's wrong?" He said loudly.

"Dame-Tsuna…boss…?" Akio looked up at Ryohei for confirmation.

"What boss?" Ryohei asked back. Akio was now utterly confused.

"You just said that Dame-Tsuna was your team leader…"

"OH!" Ryohei said. "No, he's extremely not!" _NOT YET! _Ryohei thought in his head. He thought that Akio understood what Reborn was saying, so he didn't bother to elaborate.

"Oh…" Akio whispered. "I thought I was going crazy for a second…"

"What are you going to do now?" Ryohei asked.

"We're staying here," Hakimi said. "I got a raise for some reason today. I'm earning double the money than before. We'll be able to stay here. Akio can save me if any bullies come to bother us again." She ruffles her son's hair lovingly. _I'm so proud of you…_She thought and looked up smiling.

...

**Five years later...**

"…Two…one…KNOCK OUT!"

The crowd cheered.

"Great job, Akio!"

"Yeah! That was record timing!"

"Haha! Thanks!" Akio said and helped his opponent get up. "You alright?"

His friend grinned at him. "Totally knocked out, dude! That last punch you gave was your best yet!"

Akio laughed sheepishly.

"What are you going to do after you graduate from high school?" His captain asked. Akio turned to face him.

"I don't know."

"Maybe you should do professional boxing!" another friend of his said excitedly. "You're definitely good at it!"

Akio pondered over this. His father was a pro. Should he go that way as well? Akio grimaced. He also remembered some things that his old friend, Ryohei had said. Ryohei practiced boxing to protect his friends. If he did professional boxing, it wouldn't do much good. And all his friends knew how to protect themselves just as he did anyways.

"Nah, his da died doing pro," his opponent nudged the one who asked in the ribs.

"Ow! Oh… sorry, Akio. I forgot."

Akio waved a fisted hand. He was still wearing the padded gloves. "It's cool. My dad didn't die boxing."

They stared at him. "He _didn't?"_

Akio smiled slowly at them. "No…? What made you think he did?"

"Well, well, you said he was a boxer. We asked who he was, and you told us, but then said he died a long time ago, so…"

"Aaah…sorry, sorry. I thought I explained it properly. No, he was killed in a shootout."

"Hang on," said his best friend. "You said he survived the bullet."

"He…two years after that shootout, they found his body in the midst of the other mafia dead of the _second_ shootout. There was some kind of fight between the two gangs. He was killed."

"Oh…he was pretty unlucky..."

The atmosphere became awkward. Akio sighed. "Man! I'm so sticky! Gotta shower!"

When he came out, a girl of around seven and a baby were the only people left in the club's room.

"Sorry, but we're leaving. Were you looking for someone?" Akio asked, drying his hair with a towel.

The girl with blue hair reaching to her shoulders looked him over with an approving look. The baby was Colonnello.

Akio blinked at the girl and looked away to stare at Colonnello. "You…"

"Are you Ryouta Akio?" The girl asked. She had a slight accent.

"Eh, yes?" Akio said, sounding unsure.

"I'm Lal Mirch, from CEDEF, an organisation based in Italy and retired leader of COMBUSBIN."

Akio left the towl on his shoulders. "O…kay…?" He looked at Colonnello. "Are you in this too?"

Colonnello grinned. "Of course, kora! We're here to recruit you!"

"Into...CEDEF or...COMBUSBIN...?" he asked.

"COMBUSBIN," Lal growled. There was no way she was letting a green twerp into CEDEF. "It's Italy's combat forces. You have to have top grades and speak Italian, French, English, German, and a language of your choice. You also have to be quick witted and know how to swim laps in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

Akio sat on a chair and gaped at her. "Hold up...you are a _retired leader_ of this...of this Italian special force? What the heck? And..._whaaaat?_"

Lal stomped over to him and slapped him silly and punched him in the gut. "I won't tolerate this nonesense! You don't question the orders from your superiors! You better learn that quickly or you'll be stomped on like a bug!"

"Lal, he's not a trainee yet," Colonnello said, calming the girl down. She hmphed and dropped him back into the chair.

_S-Scary..._ Akio thought.

"The commander I left in charge there must be going soft on the trainees! I was able to bypass their security every time I visit them," Lal said with a growl. And she visited them every weekend. "I've decided. I'm going to go back there to train those brats! _You_ included," she said to Akio.

Akio almost squeaked. _"M-Me?"_

**THE END**

* * *

><p><em><strong>-LLM<strong>_

_**Edited 2013-08-25th**_


	3. Vongola Rain Guardian

**Trouble From One Continent to Another**

_ONESHOT_

...

** REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT_ CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Time: **After Shimon Arc, before the…Arcobaleno Arc? I have no idea if it's called that. Tsuna didn't have the ceremony to become Vongola the Tenth but everyone thinks of him as the one.

**Summary: **Yamasaki Kasumi and her year mates go on an Italy trip sponsored by someone she doesn't know. That doesn't matter, as long as she gets to go. She _has _to go. Her sister needs her. She must find her and take her back from those evil human traffickers. She knew it would be hard with the limited time of one week. What she didn't expect, was her school's baseball star to help her out.

* * *

><p>"Oyaji, I'm leaving!" Yamamoto called as he left his family restaurant. He was bending down to avoid the door frame when his dad told im to wait.<p>

"Hey, Takeshi, you're forgetting something!" The baseball player turned back around with a questioning look on his face. He was dressed in a blue jacket to avoid the cold and a baseball bat in a case on his shoulder. In one hand was Shigure Kintoki in its sleeve, something he carried around wherever he went nowadays because the kid at Tsuna's house told him to.

Tsuyoshi dangled his son's trip form with two fingers and an envelope. He was standing behind the counter, getting ready to open up for the day. Yamamoto laughed.

"Thanks! Today's the last day to hand it in and the kid said we had to go!" He walked back in to take the form and left. He walked to Tsuna's house, which was along the way to school. There he met the ever present Gokudera.

"Good morning, Gokudera!" He waved cheerfully at the other teen who scoffs in return.

"Juudaime doesn't need you to come! He has his right-hand man: me!"

Yamamoto grinmed and shrugged. They had this conversation every morning so it was nothing new. A few moments later, they heard screams and banging. This was normal in the Sawada household. Occasionally, they would also hear a loud explosion. They counted the seconds and when both of their internal timers hit zero, the brunet they were waiting for flies out the doorway with a baby observing them from his room.

"Juudaime, good morning!" Gokudera said with the same amount of cheerfulness Yamamoto usually has.

"Yo, Tsuna!"

Tsuna smiled at them as they walk to school at a leisurely pace. Yamamoto assumed that that was the case because the kid had woke Tsuna up on time.

"Good morning!"

"I almost forgot my form today," Yamamoto said. Gokudera glared with his trademark scowl on his face.

"You baseball freak! How can you forget such an important thing? Reborn-san said that _everyone _needed to go. As the Rain Guardian, you need to be more self conscious that the order applies to you as well! Right, Juuadime?" Gokudera instantly went back to his loyal self.

Yamamoto watched as Tsuna laughs carefully and starts laughing himself. It was most likely that Tsuna almost forgot his trip form as well, which was the reason for the extra gun fire they heard.

"But I can't believe we're actually going on this trip!" Tsuna wailed. "What if someone recognises me?"

"Maa, maa! It's our first time traveling overseas with the entire class so we should enjoy it!"

Tsuna smiled. "That's true…I wonder what dishes Haru likes…this is going to be fun—as long as Reborn doesn't ruin it," he muttered. They turned right and Tsuna bumped into someone. The two of them fell backwards.

"Ow…" Tsuna rubbed his head and looked at who he ran into. "I'm sorry—Enma! And Adelheid!"

"Watch where you're going!" Adelheid growled as Enma got to his feet. He was munching on a chocolate bar.

"Sorry!" Tsuna squeaked and bowed deeply to Adelheid. "Sorry, Enma-kun!"

"S' alright. 'Morning," he added.

"Good morning…"

"Didn't you guys leave?" Gokudera growled and stood defensively before Tsuna. Yamamoto was more relaxed.

"Calm down, Gokudera. Didn't we resolve it already?"

"Yeah, Gokudera-kun!"

"They left to do something, but I wanted to stay a bit longer. They'll be back soon anyways," Enma mumbled. "Adelheid said that one of my Guardians had to stay, so here she is…"

"O-oh…okay…well, let's go! We won't want to be late!"

…

"Alright class! Hand in your Italy trip form if you haven't already!" Their teacher clapped her hands loudly to get the class' attention.

_We're actually going to Italy,_ Yamamoto thought as he walked back to his desk. _I heard they have interesting food there._ For the rest of the class, they were taught some simple Italian phrases so that they won't be entirely helpless once they landed on European soil.

Yamamoto dozed off slightly because he already knew a bit of what the teacher was talking about, since he and the family already got tutored by Reborn. "Yamamoto! Pay attention!" The teacher scowled at the napping student.

"Hai! Sorry, sensei!" Yamamoto grinned.

The man who was teaching them Italian sighed. Why did he get stuck teaching a bunch of brats Italian—well, not everyone there is a brat, of course, he quickly corrects himself, because Decimo is too great to be mingled with these…brats.

"Translate this question to Italian please," he kept a certain amount of respect for his Guardians as well, but it really ticks him off when someone's not paying attention to what he's saying.

Yamamoto stood up and looked at the board. _"Um…where are the station police?"_ Yamamoto answered incorrectly. The Italian teacher sighed and let him sit after correcting him.

"A good attempt, Yamamoto. Just make sure you don't make the same mistake when we get there."

"Hai!" Yamamoto back down. He propped his chin on his left hand and doesn't notice his fans watching his every move. What he did notice was that a certain girl sitting in front of him was paying _extra_ attention to the lessons as if her life depended on it.

_Hm…she's…Yamasaki…Kasumi?_ Yamamoto thought as he watched her curiously. He's never seen _anyone_ pay so much attention during class before. He chuckled softly. Well, there was a role model for you. Maybe he should start paying more attention as well.

As the lesson wore on, he found that his concentration was drifting away. Eventually, he gave up and hid his head behind his arms and fell asleep. He knew that this was safe because Tsuna's desk was blocking the teacher's view of the baseball player entirely.

Then clapping hands woke him up again. It turns out that half the class got tired of having Italian lessons crammed into their brains and was pleased that the lesson was over. Yamamoto smiled wryly. If only they knew how it was to train with the kid. He turned back to their teacher to see what was up.

"I will now hand out the forms for where you can get your passports renewed. Be sure to have them by the end of the week, alright? First person…" The list went on. Yamamoto went up to get his and looked over the paper. He slipped it between his notebooks and put that away. Class was going to end in a few moments, which meant lunch break. Once everyone had their forms, the ever-so-observant Hana noticed something.

"Sensei!" She raised a hand. "Sawada didn't get one. Is he not going?" The teacher looked startled at her and then at the sheet of paper she held. Yamamoto could see that Tsuna shifted uneasily as he was in the centre of attention again.

"Sawada has an Italian passport, so he's all set. Gokudera, being born there, also has citizenship of the country."

"Dame-Tsuna has an Italian passport?" Someone whispered. "Why would he have that?"

"Doesn't that mean he's a citizen from there?"

"Something like duo-citizenship maybe?"

"There's no reason for him to have one…and we've never heard of him going to Italy before!" another exclaimed. They were a closely knit community, so they would have known if anyone travelled so far. Yamamoto frowned inwardly as he noticed Tsuna's discomfort. He relaxed when Gokudera slammed his hands to his desk. As much as he'd rather Gokudera calm down, he was glad that the hot headed teen acted the way he did.

"Shut up! You all don't know anything, so be quiet! Don't insult Juudaime!"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera!" Yamamoto called and played his role, laughing. "I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it."

"And _you!_ How can you act so casual at a time like this! We'll be going back to Italy! We can't disgrace Juudaime in any way!" He shouted. Most of the class ignored him since they thought that he was just spitting out blabber. They were already used to him calling Tsuna "Juudaime" for some unknown reason, though they still wonder why the boy was given such a title. The teacher ordered them to sit down.

A few minutes later, the bell rang. Yamamoto stretched his long arms as he rose to join Tsuna and Gokudera for lunch on the roof.

"_EXTREME!"_ Yamamoto heard their senpai roar. He laughed wholeheartedly.

"Good afternoon, senpai!"

"That was an _extreme_ boxing session I just had!"

"Onii-chan! You should have been in class," Kyoko scolded. Ryohei gave his loving sister a startled look.

"I was?"

"O-Onii-san…" Tsuna muttered. Yamamoto laughed as he imagined a large drop of sweat appearing behind Tsuna's head.

"Let's go to lunch now, ne?" he said cheerfully.

"YOSH!" Ryohei shouted. "Let's go!"

Kyoko giggled. "I'm going to miss onii-chan when we go to Italy," she commented to the group as they climbed the stairs to the roof. Ryohei held the door open for them and had a sunny look in his eyes.

"Oh yeah! Master Pao Pao told me that he put me in an extreme boxing exchange programme for a few weeks in Italy!" This was no surprise to any of them, except for Hana, who was always the skeptical one.

"Who is this Master Pao Pao? And I've never heard of an exchange programme for only one month." Yamamoto noticed that Tsuna began to sweat like crazy.

"Hahaha!"

Ryohei stuttered as he tried to explain about the exchange programme.

"It's none of your business, woman!" Gokudera growled at Hana.

"What!" she yelled back. Now, they were settled in the middle of the roof eating their lunch. Gokudera and Hana continued to argue back and forth.

"Haha, they're at it again," Yamamoto said cheerfully to Ryohei who had a faint redness to his face as he shouted "_EXTREME!"_ out of nowhere.

"I bet Italy's going to be exciting!"

...

That night, Kasumi packed her bags and held her passport which was previously in a cupboard. She mentally ticked off the things she had ready to go. She looked into the mirror. Her green pajamas were soft against her skin, her brown eyes were wide with excitement and nervousness. But most of all, they were filled with determination. Her black hair cut to the nape of her neck in neat layers was wet from the shower she just had minutes before. She glanced at the picture frame on her desk. She picked it up and stroked the face of the girl in it beside her. The girl had brown eyes and brown hair to her waist. Other than the hair, they looked exactly the same: her younger twin, Yamasaki Himiko. The picture was taken a year ago, in London, where the problem began.

The phone startled her out of her memories as she dashed out to answer it just in time.

"Hello, Yamasaki Residence!" She gasped.

"_Kasumi? Why do you sound so out of breath?"_ her father asked worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing," she took a deep breath and let it out. She brushed a few strands of hair from her face and held it there, unable to find a clip for it yet. "Where are you and okaa-san now?"

"_New York. We traced them all the way here."_

"Eto…Otou-san…" she began hesitantly, "don't you think that they'd be back in Italy? They were speaking in Italian, so they might have been from there." She heard her father sigh.

"_Yes, I know that, but we're following their trail. They may have picked up more kids on their way there." _She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her. _"Kasumi, where are you going in Italy again?"_ he said suddenly. Kasumi's mouth twitched.

"Sicily."

"_Mm…"_ he mumbled. "_Vongola is the sponsor, huh…"_

"Uh…I think. Yeah. I think I've heard it from somewhere before. Why?"

Her father coughed. "_Never mind. What are you going to do here?"_

"We're going on tours and seeing the sites. We're doing it for home economics, since our school won the regional competition and all, so we'll also be visiting a lot of restaurants, and other places."

"_Do they put the students in groups? Is there any chance that you might run off?"_

"_Otou-_san_,_ I'm not going to go anywhere I'm not supposed to," she said, exasperated and putting a lot of sighing into it, as well as a whiney voice, hoping to fool the lie detector her father had in his head.

There was a moment of silence.

"_You're lying to your dad, aren't you?"_

"Wh-Otou-san!" she said in dismay. _It didn't work?_ She heard laughter.

"_Oh, I'm kidding. I know that my daughters won't do anything beyond their capabilities. Well, I have to go now. So, good night!"_

"Bye," she whispered, and hung up. Kasumi knew that she can depend on her parents to bring Himiko back home, with them being agents and all. But…there was still that problem of adults ignoring children when they have the answers—like now. Don't get her wrong; she loves her parents, it's just that they can be really stubborn sometimes.

Kasumi was _there_ when they took her sister, and she heard them. Heard them say Sicily. Out of all the words they said, she understood Sicily, and Boss. That told her that they were probably headed to Sicily, to meet their boss. And then it just so happened that their school was sponsored by an unknown person. She would use this as a chance to find her sister. She would be a fool to go against grown men, but she had taken martial arts lessons ever since she was able to walk. That by itself told her that she had the slightest chance of winning. _Slightly._

_**BOOM!**_

She winced at looked out the window but saw no sign of the explosion. Then she shrugged it off. They always heard these booms every day, usually in the mornings before school and in the evenings. Sometimes they would even sound off at the most random hours.

...

**A day before the flight…**

Yamamoto had just come back from morning practice and was getting changed before heading to Tsuna's home. They were going to fly for Italy tomorrow and the teachers gave them a day off to do whatever they liked.

"Morning, Takeshi!" a chef assistant said and waved the knife he was holding. Yamamoto smiled and waved back.

"Hi!"

The assistant got a knock on the head by Tsuyoshi.

"Don't wave that knife around recklessly!"

Yamamoto grinned at them. "Oyaji, I'm going to Tsuna's!"

"Have fun. Bring some sushi with you!"

"Sure. Thanks," Yamamoto said gratefully and waited as his dad packed the food.

"Hello?" a girl's voice said from the doorway. She moved the cloth aside and stepped in. Yamamoto's eyes widened. It was a Kasumi.

"Good morning, Kasumi-chan," he said cheerfully. They knew she had a sister, even though she didn't attend their school so she preferred if they called her by her given name.

"Yamamoto-kun?"

Kasumi simply stood there, unsure of what she should say other than that.

"Good…morning…" What are you doing here? That's what she _wanted_ to ask, but that seemed too rude. There was no point in adding "so early in the morning," because she assumed that he was out practising, like any good sports player would to keep in shape. Her questions were answered while she stood there.

"Takeshi, here's the food. Make sure you don't drop it," Tsuyoshi said.

"Thanks, oyaji!" _Ah, so this is his family restaurant,_ she thought. Then she looked around the warm and cozy place. It was recommended to her by Kyoko when she asked if there were any good places nearby. The girl had given it a five star ranking, according to this kid she knew. And so, that's how she ended up here.

"Little miss, are you going to just stand there or do you want a seat?" Tsuyoshi asked. "Since you're my son's friend, I can give you a discount!"

Kasumi smiled. "Thanks, Yamamoto-san."

"I'll be going now. See you tomorrow at the airport, Kasumi-chan!" Kasumi flashed him a kind smile before taking a booth. Yamamoto jogged to Tsuna's, with Shigure Kintoki swung over one shoulder in its cloth case. He saw Gokudera and Haru bickering as they walked pass the intersection.

"Yo! Good Morning!" Yamamoto called out as they paused. He took this chance to catch up to them.

"Stupid woman! You shouldn't bother Juudaime so early in the morning!" Then he turned on Yamamoto. "And you shouldn't be either!"

"HAHI! As Tsuna-san's future wife, Haru has every right to visit him before all of you go off to Italy without Haru! It makes Haru sad-desu. She'll miss everyone!" Haru pouted, going into extreme third person when she was upset.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera, why don't we all go to Tsuna's instead of arguing? Pops gave me some food," Yamamoto lifted the large bento box.

"Hahi! Yamamoto-kun, your dad is a life saver! Haru forgot to go shopping yesterday so there's no food at home. I had to skip brakfast this morning."

"Che! You could have bought something to eat!" Gokudera snorted as he continued to walk. The other two followed.

"Buying things from stores is unhealthy. It's best if you cook it yourself!"

They arrived at Tsuna's doorstep with plenty of arguing and laughing—on Yamamoto's part. He knocked on the door three times.

"Damn you, baseball freak! _I'm_ supposed to knock on the door. Move aside," Gokudera shouted.

"It's fine, Gokudera!" Yamamoto grinned. "All I did was knock on the door." The door opened and Nana welcomed them in. Gokudera bowed deeply and sputtered out apologies about disturbing them so early in the morning. Nana giggled.

"Oh, no, there's no need to worry!" She waved a hand dismissively at them and stepped to the side. "Come in, Tsu-kun is already awake. He and Reborn-kun are in his room doing homework, so he won't have to do them in Italy. Reborn-kun said he had some training for Tsu-kun there, and the homework will just get in the way."

"Training?" Gokudera, who always wanted to get stronger, piped up. Then he said, "If Juudaime is going to be training, then so will I!" He removed his shoes quickly and ran to Tsuna's room. Yamamoto laughed.

"I guess Italy is going to be busy," he commented.

"I really wish that I went to Namimori Middle instead of Midori," Haru said gloomily.

"Maa, maa, no doubt you can persuade the kid to let you go," Yamamoto attempted to cheer her up, which worked.

"Hahi! That's true! I'm finishing the last of my exams this afternoon! Then I'll be free, because they won't be teaching anything worthwhile at school for the next few weeks! Yamamoto-san, you're a genius!" She cried and gave him a quick hug of thanks before dashing upstairs to Reborn. Yamamoto blinked once and grinned, glad to help. He followed Haru up the steps and into Tsuna's loud bedroom. Throughout the years while living with the tutor from hell, the room had been fixed time and time again. Eventually, Reborn had gotten annoyed at the limited space for torturing so he got the room rennovated to be double its original size.

Although Tsuna told him and Gokudera that he was glad to have so much space, it also meant that Reborn would get more ideas.

They hung out at Tsuna's for the entire day, and went out to the amusement park a few hours before actually leaving. They already decided to meet up at Tsuna's place before heading to the airport. That way, they will all be together. Chrome, who had also enrolled into their school, was coming along.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Yamamoto said and waved as they separated.

"Bye!" Tsuna said. Gokudera raised a hand in farewell and walked off with Juudaime.

...

**The next day, Sawada Residence**

_BOOM!_

"What happened?" Yamamoto asked as he entered Tsuna's house. Nana smiled.

"Reborn went to wake Tsu-kun. They sure are energetic, aren't they?"

"We're sorry to intrude, okaa-sama!" Gokudera said and bowed.

"Oh, my! It's fine!" Nana laughed. "Tsu-kun has such nice friends. Come on in! I have breakfast ready for everyone."

"It smells delicious," Yamamoto said.

"Of course it does!"

Yamamoto grinned and put his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay! Hahaha!"

"Tch."

Yamamoto and Gokudera settled down in the kitchen and waited for Nana to put the food on the table. They began eating after giving thanks for the meal.

Near the end, they heard another thump.

"Juudaime!"

"Whooaaaaaaaa!" They heard Tsuna cry out. "This is the first time I didn't land on my face!"

Then they heard a thump as Tsuna fell to the floor.

"Hurry up, Dame-Tsuna. Today's the last day to eat Mama's food before stuffing yourself with Italian dishes," Reborn's voice said.

"I wonder what happened," Nana said as she wiped her hands on a towel. Then she made her way out the door.

"Juudaime! I must help him!"

"It's alright, Gokudera!"

"Eh? Tsu-kun! What are you doing on the floor?" Nana poked her head out the kitchen door worriedly. Tsuna quickly picked himself up and ran to the kitchen.

"I'm okay, kaa-san—! Eh! Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun are here?" Sitting in his kitchen, enjoying scrambled eggs and toast, were two of his best friends. Gokudera wore a red t-shirt and many chains around his neck. He had the Storm Buckle on as well. Yamamoto had a blue shirt with his necklaces hidden underneath. Yamamoto looked up from his chat with Fuuta and grinned.

"'Morning, Tsuna!"

"Good morning, Juudaime! Are you alright?"

The kids greeted him as well when he sat. Nana had his food in front of him immediately and he ate it with gusto.

"I'm alright. Sorry you had to wait," Tsuna was eating as quickly as he could, knowing that some Guardians of his were probably on their way here right now. They had to be at the airport by six, even though they were supposed to be at the air port a few hours early. And it was five now.

"Haha, it's alright!" Yamamoto finished his milk and put his plate in the sink. "Thanks for the meal. It was great!" Nana giggled at the baseball star's words.

He sat back down and waited for the rest to finish while telling jokes to them. When they were finished, the three of them left the house.

A slick, black van rolled around the corner just moments later. Yamamoto whistled. The engines were so quiet he would have not noticed it was there if his eyes were closed. The windows were tinted and everything else about it showed off wealth. He glanced at Tsuna and laughed at the eye-popping moment.

"Ne, Tsuna, at least it's not a limo, huh?"

"Damn you! Juudaime deserves a limo!"

"Hahaha!"

The driver's window rolled down and Bianchi looked back at them.

"Reborn," she said lovingly. "I got our ride."

"Good job, Bianchi."

"Huh? Hey, where's Lambo?" Yamamoto asked when he didn't see the baby anywhere. Reborn hopped onto his shoulder.

"We won't have time to take care of the snotty little brat. He's still asleep. Get in the car." Yamamoto shrugged. A few minutes later, Kyoko and Hana appeared.

"Hahi! Everyone's already gathered!" Tsuna turned his head to the other direction and saw Haru lugging a large suitcase with her. He raised his eyebrows.

"Do you need help with that?"

"No, it's okay. Thanks though, Tsuna-san!" Haru beamed. "It's empty. Most of the things I need are in my backpack!"

"Che! Then why are you bringing a suitcase, stupid woman!"

"Hahi! Haru is not stupid, Gokudera-san! And the suitcase is empty so I can do more shopping, desu!"

Yamamoto watched Tsuna sigh when Gokudera started an argument with whoever was listening. "How can you all be so cheerful five in the morning?"

"Hahaha! Mornings are great, Tsuna! Five in the morning is when I go for my run, usually."

"Going to five thirty," Bianchi announced as she looked at the van's clock.

"Hie! Everyone get in!"

Yamamoto laughed.

Suitcases were stuffed into the trunk in record timing and the three girls sat at the back. Yamamoto thought that Chrome might want to talk with the girls, so he offered to sit in the front instead. Chrome shyly agreed. When everyone was belted in and Reborn had his own seat, Bianchi took off.

"Have a safe trip!" Nana sang. They waved back at her until the house was out of sight.

…

**Namimori Airport, 05:45**

Kasumi walked with her suitcase rolling behind her. She wore skinny jeans and a thin blue t-shirt that had cats on them. She wore green running shoes and a red watch on her right wrist. She had a purple bandana wrapped on her head to keep her bangs from falling into her eyes.

"Sensei! Kasumi-chan's here!" someone said so that their teacher, Shika can mark her on their attendance sheet. There were three other teachers. In total, they had two females and two males.

"Excellent. Now we're only missing…Dokuro, Gokudera, Sasagawa, Sawada, Kurokawa, and Yamamoto."

Kasumi stopped at the edge of the group, which was _large_, since it included all four classes of their year. She tapped her foot impatiently, silently annoyed at the ones who were keeping them from checking in. She rubbed on the ribbon she tied to her suitcase so she'd recognise it. That was a leafy pattern and given to her by her sister.

Five minutes later, their teacher was ready to burst out of frustration. Even Hibari had already left on his own private jet, although they didn't know it.

"Sorry sensei!" a boyish voice cried out. "We got stuck in traffic!"

"Sawada! There is no traffic six in the morning!" Shika immediately retorted. The group was running towards them with their suitcases wheeling behind them. Yamamoto was laughing while Gokudera was looking angry. Tsuna was anxious and Kyoko was out of breath. Hana was annoyed by the group.

Gokudera was already arguing with this girl they brought along. The class groaned. Well. At least they were flying first class. They were all excited, since none of them have been on a first class plane to Italy before.

"Who's that behind you, Gokudera?" Shika asked. Gokudera looked behind him and saw Haru talking to Kyoko.

"Oi! Stupid woman! Get out from behind me!" He growled.

"Hahi! Haru isn't stupid, Gokudera-san! How many times do I have to tell you that-desu!"

"Who is she?" Shika asked again, impatient. "We can't have someone just tagging along, Gokudera!"

"I don't know!" Gokudera said and stuck his nose up in the opposite direction, his eyes shut and arms crossed.

"Hahi! Oh course you know Haru! Tsuna-san! Gokudera-san's not being reasonable!" She latched onto Tsuna, who blushed but held her hand anyways.

"Ah! S-Sensei, she's our friend and she's also going on the same plane as us!"

"Huh? Sawada has a girlfriend?" someone muttered.

"Wow, that was unexpected."

Haru bowed to the teacher and introduced herself. Their teacher sighed.

"Now that you're here, we can finally get moving," she said grumpily and checked off their names. "Alright! Follow me!"

"Hai!" The group chorused.

"At least we didn't get scolded too much!"

"At least she's not _Nezu_," Kasumi muttered to herself in reply to Yamamoto's comment.

"That's right," Tsuna said, not really paying attention to who was talking. Kasumi jumped and turned around.

"Oh…it's Sawada."

"A-Ah…good morning, Kasumi-chan…"

"Ahn. Same to you."

"Che! Why are you talking to Juudaime anyways?" Gokudera growled at Kasumi, who frowned. She never understood why people loved Gokudera. He was too…grouchy. And they found that characteristic hot? Sure, she understood his looks, but hello? Anger management problem?

"He talked to me first," she said, defending herself.

"Maa, maa! Won't it be better if we all enjoy ourselves and don't argue?" Yamamoto laughed. Kasumi shrugged.

"Welcome to Vongola Airways," the flight attendants said and bowed to the group who just stood there astonished.

"Um… Are we on the right…?" Shika looked at the clip board: terminal three. She looked up at the sign: terminal three. What…?

"You are Namimori Middle School, second year students, correct?" The head steward stepped up. "This is the plane your sponsor, our boss, has for you. It isn't very big, but there are enough seats for all of you." He bowed.

_No way…_ Kasumi gawked at the plane they were supposed to ride there. It was white on the outside, like most planes. It was when they went in that she realised just _how_ fantastic this was. _We're riding on a private plane! How cool is that!_ Their suitcases were all taken from them to be put away and with them were only a small bag or nothing at all.

The seats were plush, red, and had a lot of room. They were able to flatten the seats all the way for maximum comfort. They were in pairs and there were three rows. The isles were wide so that two people could walk abreast on it. The windows had a clear view of the sky, and the television screen was put in just the perfect position. The seats even had boards with a screen so that no one can disturb them. The air conditioning wasn't too cold, which was something nice for a change. The teachers sat at the front of the rows and the rest of the student body got their pick.

Kasumi dumped her small pack on her seat which was right beside the window. She flopped down and put on her headphones to block out the sound. She plucked out a map of where they were going and studied it.

Behind her sat Tsuna and Gokudera. Further were Kyoko and Hana, then Chrome and Haru. She faintly noticed Yamamoto take the seat next to her, and say a hello.

"Hi." She went back to reading. Yamamoto found her reply funny for some reason and shrugged. He turned around to talk to Gokudera and Tsuna before they lifted off.

When they did, the plane went smooth and quiet. They couldn't even tell that they were in the air until someone looked out the window.

The food was magnificent and they had anything that was Italian on the menu. Kasumi enjoyed herself and when night came, she slept peacefully.

That is…until she heard a thump behind her. Kasumi's eyes opened in a snap, but she stayed where she was. This was out of habit from when she was a child. Her father would sneak into her room to catch her unawares in the wee hours of the morning, to scare her awake. But each time, she was able to wake up with the slightest twist of her door knob. The fun part was that she was a pro at pretending to sleep and then scare her dad in return.

Now, she breathed out, remembering where she was. About to snuggle up and make herself more comfortable, she heard voices behind her.

"Reborn!" She recognised the whisper as Tsuna's. "Why are we riding on a _Vongola_ plane of all things?" Another thump.

"Itai!"

"Nono was nice enough to give you a school trip to Italy. Of course we're not going to use any other plane. Who do you think you are? Nono's not going to risk having you injured if a plane with stupid technicians and malfunctions." _Huh?_ Question marks popped up all around her head.

"But what if someone tries to shoot this plane down?" Tsuna's whisper showed how afraid he was. Kasumi's heart skipped a beat. _Why would someone try to shoot the plane down?_

"No one's going to try that."

Tsuna's mutter was even lower and she couldn't hear it at all—another thump; another yelp. The conversation stopped and Kasumi drifted back to sleep, wondering what she just heard.

Reborn was sitting on Tsuna's chest, keeping his pupil lying down. He looked at the sleeping figure in front of them and stared at his student again.

"R-Reborn?"

"Go back to sleep. We'll be arriving in a few hours, since we're using one of Vongola's fastest planes."

...

**In Italy after they land**

The group yawned and laughed at each other's bed hairs as they tried to fix them. Kasumi had finished memorising the map before she fell asleep and was now reading a tourist book.

"Good morning, Kasumi-chan!"

"Morning, Yamamoto-kun…" She could feel that Yamamoto's fans were glaring at her. She shuddered and reminded herself to stay away from Yamamoto until they calmed down.

Shika waited until everyone was ready to leave the plane and they filed out. The flight attendants bid them goodbye.

Tsuna's group was the last to leave. They bowed to him as he walked by.

"Have a safe trip, Sawada-sama."

Kasumi was ahead of them but still heard. She gave herself a puzzled look and shook her head. Her headphones were on, playing music, so she might've misheard them. _Sawada-sama?_ Why would they call him that? And how did they know his name?

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuna muttered and hiie'd in his mind. Reborn jumped on his shoulder.

"Hurry up, Tsuna. You're going to get lost if you don't follow close behind."

"You're right!"

"Don't worry, Tsuna! If we do get lost, we can always find our way!" Yamamoto reassured Tsuna.

"You…! I'll be the one to lead Juudaime to safety, baseball nut!" Gokudera punched his fist in the air with confidence. They caught up to the group and Shika took attendance again. Their luggage was put beneath the tour bus they were to ride in.  
>Yamamoto sat beside Tsuna's left and Gokudera his right.<p>

They arrived at the five-star-hotel in forty-five minutes.

"Haha! Tsuna, I just noticed something."

"Eh?" Tsuna woke up groggily from his nap. Gokudera was reading a magazine about UMA.

"Did the Ninth organise this trip?"

"Hmm…maybe...since—_yawn_—we were first on the Vongola Airlines and then I was greeted like a king…yeah, probably…why ask?" Yamamoto pointed out the window. Tsuna turned his head lazily and peered at the hotel's name.

_Vongola Albergo_. Vongola Hotel.

His eyes bug out. "HIIIIIE!"

"Shut up Sawada!" someone groaned.

"Why you! Who was the one who just spoke so rudely to Juudaime! I'll blow you up to pieces!" Gokudera stood on the back of his his seat, one foot on top to keep his balance. No one stood up to face him.

Shika noticed the commotion and immediately went to work. "Gokudera! Sit down!"

"Hahi!"

"Hie! Gokudera-kun! Please sit back down!"

"Gokudera, listen to your boss." Reborn hops onto Tsuna. The large, plush seats masked his body from the rest of the students. Gokudera obliges and Shika gets off to speak with their host.

"Reborn! You weren't kidding when you said the Ninth organised this?" he hissed with a panicked expression.

"I never kid."

"Oh no… What if someone tries to attack me? Or-or take one of my classmates as a hostage? Or—"

"Tsuna, your imagination is getting out of hand. No one will dare attack the hotel, since it is heavily guarded with artillery."

"That's even worse!"

"Sawada! Be quiet during roll call!"

"S-Sorry, sensei!"

Shika continued on after a sigh. "Okay, we just need to wait for bus number one to let their students off before we leave. Otherwise, there's going to be a traffic jam in the hotel's lobby."

_Not likely, if this is Vongola,_ Tsuna thought. Somehow, he got used to the large amount of money Vongola owned and knew that their lobby was probably _very_ big.

"Hey, Tsuna, isn't that the Ninth?"

"Hie!" Tsuna's face pressed against the window over a startled Gokudera.

"J-Juudaime? What's going on!"

"I-It's grand—I mean, it's the Ninth!"

"Sawada! What are you doing?"

"No way!" Gokudera turned and looked out as well. His eyes widened.

"Gokudera! Sawada! _Get back to your seats!"_

Outside, Timoteo was sitting in the outdoor café next to the hotel drinking something they suspected was coffee. Two of his Guardians sat with him. They were wearing pedestrian clothing, such as button up t-shirts. Nothing suggested that they were in the mafia.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi and Gokudera Hayato!" Shika screamed. Both boys winced and sat back down. Reborn smirked.

"Always listen to the teacher, no matter whether the teacher is a professional hitman or a normal civilian."

Tsuna twitched.

"The side to my left could get off first!" This was Yamamoto's group and a few others. Shika was kind enough to let Haru join them since it was apparent that she was going to the same place they were.

When they got off, the staff opened the door to them and stood at attention. Their eyes were filled with welcome, directed at Tsuna. They even gave him a salute.

Tsuna stumbled backwards in shock and Yamamoto held his shoulders to keep him from falling.

"You alright, Tsuna?"

"F-Fine…" _Thank Kami-sama they didn't do more…who knows how my classmates will react if they welcomed me as…_ he gulped, _V-Vongola…Deci…mo…_ he shook his head.

"Hahi, Tsuna-san, you're popular here!"

"Get your hands off Juudaime!"

"Maa, maa!" Yamamoto said calmly and went in. They greeted the rest of the Guardians as well and the class which followed, who were glancing at Tsuna, wondering why he was getting special treatment.

"Drop off your bags in your rooms and meet down here. The quicker the better!"

Kasumi was sharing a room with Kyoko which she didn't mind. The girl was friendly and didn't annoy her.

"Let's go, Kasumi-chan!"

"Yeah."

At the bottom, some of their classmates were already waiting, excited to get started on their tour.

When everyone arrived, Shika said, "Before we start…I'd like you to meet our sponsor, Timoteo-san."

They greeted him.

Timoteo smiled gently. "Welcome to Italy, everyone. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and have a good time!" He moved back and Shika told them to behave, not to wander, and all the other things teachers tell their students to do.

"Okay, you're going to be in your assigned groups for the rest of the trip! First group!"

Kasumi looked around. There were many business men staying here. Why would they allow so many loud teenagers to be in such a hotel? Her eyes narrowed with a suspicious look in them. Tsuna flinched when her gaze passed him. This made her suspect that he knew something…or maybe she was just thinking too much.

"Yamasaki!"

"Hai," she said a beat behind and continued to think. She dimly heard the other group members.

"Yamamoto!"

"Present!"

"Gokudera!"

"Tch."

"Sawada!"

"Hai!"

"Sasagawa!"

"Which one?" Ryohei asked. Shiki looked up, startled.

"Sasagawa? Why are you here?"

"Onii-chan!"

"I'm on a scholarship!"

"…Ah…okay…?" She looked unconvinced, but Boreen Sensei convinced her. She continued on. "Well—Kyoko-chan, you're with Yamasaki."

"Hai!"

"That's one group done..." She looked at the paper and called out the second set of names.

"Kurokawa!"

"Hai."

"Sasagawa Ryohei!"

"EXTREME!"

"Dokuro!"

"Hai…"

"Kozato!"

"Here…"

"And…" A drop of sweat fell down her face as she looked at the list Boreen-sensei had given her. "H-Hibari…"

Everyone was hushed by this and looked around. Hibari was nowhere to be seen. Shiki gulped. She didn't even know why Hibari was on this trip, since he was not a second year.

Kasumi looked nervous. Why was the leader of the Disciplinary Committee even in their group? It didn't make sense!

"Um…Miura, is it? You can join Sawada's group as well…"

"Hai! Thank you, sensei!"

Yamamoto laughed. "So Hibari's here! I wonder where he is…"

Gokudera scoffed. Reborn jumped on Tsuna's head. Shika had already moved on to the other groups.

"Yo, kid!"

They were introduced to their guide and off they went.

…

After walking for about two hours, forced upon by Shika herself, their tour was complete for the moment.

"Okay, you have an hour to do whatever you want. Just make sure you stay in your groups and keep the walkie-talkie on you!"

Kasumi went with her group. They stood there for a few minutes wondering where to go.

"Uh, I'm going to go visit the washroom," Kasumi said and pointed to the public washrooms.

"Sure. Meet us at the cake shop just down there," Yamamoto said. She nodded and left. When she was sure that they weren't looking, she ducked into an alley and walked around, hoping to find _something._

"Eh? Kasumi-chan? Is that you?" a man said. She spun around and saw one of her dad's colleagues.

"O-oh! Hello!"

"Well this is an odd place to bump into each other. What are you doing here?"

"Um, school trip. Just wandering around, checking stuff out…"

"You want to go for a drink? I have to call your dad about something anyways!"

Kasumi was about to refuse when she realised that he might have information on the case in that brief case he had.

"Sure! Where to?"

"There's a good café just down the corner there. I'd say it's the best in Italy!" They began walking.

"Why are _you_ in Italy?"

"Ah, there's a case. Other than that, it's classified."

Kasumi nodded. _How can I get him to tell me about it…I'm sure he knows…whatever he wants to call dad about…could it be? They found something?_

At the small but beautiful café, they sat at one of the outdoor tables. He ordered an espresso and she a hot chocolate. He excused himself and left, leaving his briefcase behind. She waited another second before falling down to see what was inside it. It was well sorted, and she found a piece of paper with Himiko's picture attached. She held her breath and looked up to make sure that he wasn't coming back yet. Then she read the paper…

_Name: Yamasaki Himiko_

_Age: Fifteen_

_Gender: Female_

_Eye colour: Brown_

_Hair colour: Brown_

_Height: 5"6'_

_Status: Missing._

_Case: Kidnapped by traffickers in London, 20XX. Mafia is involved. Suspected families: XXX and XXX. _

There were more things, but she scanned past them and looked for a possible location. Scrawled in a messy and rushed handwriting in blue pen was where traffickers brought the children. It also wrote that they were beginning to sell them to a variety of places owned by the mafia.

Kasumi felt a tingle at the nape of her neck. It made her look up—just rounding the corner was her dad's colleague. Her breath was caught in her throat and she was temporarily frozen. Then she snapped into action and was in the process of putting the file back into the brief case. But she was so nervous the papers scattered all over. Her head snapped up and saw that he was bending down to tie his shoelace. She used this chance to pick up the papers and mentally hit herself for being such a klutz.

She put the file back and buckled the brief case just as the waiter came back with their drinks.

"_Thank you,"_ she said slowly. The waiter smiled and nodded.

"Ah, there we go. Thanks for waiting, Kasumi-chan."

"No problem! But uh, I have to go!" She grabbed the hot chocolate and was bringing out money.

"It's fine, I'll pay for it!"

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes yes! You're in a hurry, right? Go on."

"Okay…thanks."

"_Ciao!_ Enjoy your stay!"

She waved back and ran as fast as she could without spilling her hot drink. _Okay…I know that she's probably been sold off to somewhere else. But how will I find her? She's probably working in some run down place._

Minutes later, she was at the front of the cake shop, the group just coming out.

"There she is!" Yamamoto told them. "You were gone for a pretty long time!"

"Sorry. I got a hot chocolate and there was a really long line."

They seemed to buy that.

_How am I going to search for her if I have to stay in a group!_

"Ne, ne! Let's go to the arcade next!"

"Sounds fun!" Off they went, leaving Kasumi to her thoughts.

Yamamoto looked back worriedly at the girl. She seemed distracted.

"Kasumi-chan, is there something wrong?"

"Um, no, nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah. Perfectly sure!" Yamamoto wasn't reassured but she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't push the point.

...

After the arcade, they decided—or more rather, Yamamoto insisted—that they should get something to eat.

"And where do you think we're going to find something to eat, baseball freak?"

"Mm, I don't know! I've never been here before. How about you tell us, Gokudera? You grew up around here after all, right?"

The others looked at Gokudera expectantly. Even Tsuna was curious of what Gokudera would recommend.

"J-Juudaime…you…?"

Tsuna smiled softly. "Well, I was also wondering if you had any good places to offer us…"

Gokudera beamed and began to nod enthusiastically. "I _do_ know a place, but I'm afraid that it might be below Juudaime's standards."

"It's okay, it's perfectly fine," Tsuna waved a hand. "Nothing's below my standards! Let's go, I'm starving."

"Hai!" Gokudera began to describe the place to them as they walked down the street and made a left turn. "It may look a bit shabby, but it has excellent food! I don't know how they do it. It's great! They even let me replenish my dynamite there!"

Kasumi twitched. _Where is he taking us? Dynamite?_ _Those… firecrackers…are dynamite?_

Tsuna seemed to realise that Kasumi was listening to their conversation and quickly changed the topic.

"I really am looking forward to what they have," he said.

"Haru can't wait to try out their food!"

"Mm! Me too! I hope it's really good."

"Tch! You won't be disappointed!" Gokudera insisted with a shake of his fist.

"I better not be! Kyoko-chan and I are the best food tasters in the world! You better be prepared!"

Kyoko giggled. "Haru-chan, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

"No," Haru insisted. Kasumi drowned out the conversation at that point and just focused on figuring out a plan to find Himiko.

"Here!"

Gokudera's words snapped Kasumi out of her pondering. She looked up to see where they were. It was a two story building that had grey bricks and graffiti spray painted on the sides. The window sills were wooden and looked beaten up. There were shutters to keep the wind out but they looked broken. Some windows were broken as well; the windows that weren't broken were so old and unattended that it began to fog up.

Her eyes went up to the second floor and she could see that the windows up there were in the same condition. The building itself looked strong enough to hold. At least she was relieved that it won't collapse on top of her while she ate. The roof was dark red from rust and was falling apart. She could see that someone was in the middle of repairing it. From the angle that they were standing in, the floor looked like there was sand stuck in the cracks. _How did sand get in there?_ They weren't anywhere near a beach. Loud noises were being shouted from across the room and laughter followed. Glass shattered, people swore, and life went on.

She sweatdropped, thinking, _this place is just a_ little _shabby?_ _What kind of places does Gokudera visit anyways? _Then she caught a whiff of the food being served. _Okay, forget I said anything. That smells so good…_

Yamamoto laughed. "You're right, Gokudera! This place looks great!"

"Hahi—how can such wonderful aromas be coming out of this place? It's mysterious…"

"It…" Kasumi started. "It smells good...although the decoration could use some—eh…redecorating…?"

Gokudera glared. "If you don't like it, stay out!"

Kasumi was miffed at his comment and let out a breath. She decided to ignore the brute.

"Gokudera-kun, let's just go in," Tsuna said hastily.

The silver haired teen complied and led the way into the dimly lit restaurant. They paused at the doorway to let their eyes adjust to the lighting.

"_Hey look over there!"_ someone from the counter with a gruff but happy voice shouted. It was the bar tender. Of course, no one was interested. But this caught Gokudera's attention.

"Juudaime, that's…that's…"

"Who?" Tsuna squinted. They were still at the entrance to the…bar.

"That bartender is—he's Zodio."

"Zo…dio…? Who's he?" Yamamoto cocked his head to the side. The rest of them were also curious as to what Gokudera had to say.

"He's…"_ Oh crap. That girl's here. I can't tell her that Zodio is a Vongola informant. _"He's someone I talked to the last time I came."

"O-Oh, is that so," Tsuna said. He knew that his friend was holding back information and didn't ask for more, knowing that he'll tell him later when they were alone. His face lit up. "Well, why don't we go greet him?"

"Hai!"

Kasumi followed them as they approached it, wondering if they were even allowed in here. There was no doubt that the people in here were ordering beer and the sort. Not the best environment for a group of teenagers.

"_Yo, Zodio,"_ Gokudera greeted.

"_It's been a while since I've seen you! When was it—three years ago?_ Zodio was on the heavy-weight side. He had a reddsih-brown moustache and ginger hair.

"_Around then."_

Kasumi stared blankly at them. _What…oh, right. Gokudera's Italian, so of course he'll know how to speak Italian, _she thought.

"_This is my boss,"_ Gokudera said proudly. "Juudaime, this guy's not bad. He's one of the few people who are actually willing to get into an argument with me."

Kasumi looked from Tsuna to Gokudera to Zodio and repeated the action. _Boss?_

"_C-Ciao…"_ Tsuna said nervously.

Zodio studied him with a critical eye and smiled.

"_It's an honour to meet you, Decimo."_ Kasumi blinked. _Decimo…what…ten? Or something? I've heard Otou-san say that before…what the hell is going on here?_ She shook her head in denial. _I don't know Italian. Don't think too much on it or you'll just hurt your head, Kasumi._

Tsuna only recognised the word Decimo, only because he was greeted as _Decimo_ for as long as he could remember since Reborn entered his life. He sweated. _Mafia… here, right now? Oh gosh, I hope there won't be a shootout! No, Dame-Tsuna,_ he rebutted himself. _You're watching too many movies on Mafia._ He shook his head. Kasumi watched him with an amused expression.

Then Zodio turned to the rest of their company and said in Japanese with a slight accent, "I see that most of you are Japanese, so I might as well speak that language as well."

"You're amazing! How many languages do you know?" Yamamoto laughed and relaxed at a booth.

He laughed loudly. "I only know a bit of this, a bit of that!"

"He's being modest," Gokudera mumbled. "He knows the top ten languages in the world."

"Amazing," Kasumi mumbled.

"Of course he's amazing. He's a member of Tsuna's family, after all. We only accept the best."

Tsuna snapped his head to the direction of the voice and demanded, "Reborn, did you _have_ to follow us?" Kasumi blinked at the sight of the baby. She didn't seem bothered by Reborn at all.

_Did the baby just say Tsuna's family? Does that mean he has some kind of uncle who works as a bartender? Hm, then why didn't Tsuna recognise him, and how is it that Gokudera knows him?_

Reborn smirked and ignored his student. Tsuna bristled.

"Ciaossu, Zodio."

"Reborn, fancy seeing you here," Zodio greeted respectfully.

"I'm training my student while he's here in Italy," Reborn explained and landed on Tsuna's head.

The brunet's head dipped as he rolled his eyes skywards, trying to see Reborn. Zodio raised an eyebrow and nodded in understanding.

"Well, unless you're ordering illegal liquor, grab a table and a waiter will be with you in a bit," he joked.

Reborn jumped onto the table and turned to his student. "I'm going to talk to Zodio for a while."

"Ah…okay." Tsuna went to join his friends.

They were sitting at a table near the back, against a wall. The table was wooden and splintered in several places. They sat on benches. Tsuna, Haru, and Gokudera sat on one bench, with Tsuna in the middle. Haru and Gokudera were having an argument. Kasumi felt sorry for Tsuna, who had to sit between them. She sat across from them with Yamamoto and Kyoko.

"What happened to the salt and pepper? I thought they always had those in restaurants," Kasumi said to Kyoko when she saw that there was only a box of napkins on the table. Kyoko shrugged.

"Maybe their food doesn't need any additional seasoning," Yamamoto suggested.

"Hm, that's reasonable," Kasumi fiddled with a napkin and made a crane in two minutes.

"Whoa, you're good at that!"

"Thanks," she smiled and put it aside as a waitress in a black uniform walked up to their table. She had her hair pinned in a bun with a red cap covering half of her face. Kasumi stared at the waitress, looking at her figure.

_The way she walks…no…it _can't_ be…_

"Hello, how may I help you?" the quiet voice whispered. Gokudera took one look at her and snorted. Haru, Kyoko, and Yamamoto smiled. Kasumi could only stare at the girl. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Tsuna was looking at her, and then at the waitress.

Tsuna continued to observe the waitress, frowning. He looked as if he was trying to remember something, Yamamoto saw.

The girl had her head ducked and her eyes never left the small notepad she held in her hand. The cap blocked their view of her face but Kasumi was sure…

"Hahi, you speak Japanese!" Haru explained. The girl jumped slightly at the girl's voice.

"U-Um, yes…I know Japanese…"

"Awe, Haru is jealous. You get to live in such a fantastic country, and you know two languages so well!"

The girl nodded, accepting the compliment. "Thanks…what…would you like to order?"

"Hm! I'll have…" Yamamoto looked at the menu. The girl stiffened at his voice and raised her head ever so slightly to stare at the teen. Kasumi caught a glimpse of brown. Then just as quickly, she lowered her gaze again.

_What's this?_ Tsuna asked himself. _"She…how do I put it? Looks…surprised…or shocked…uncomfortable? Hm…she's nervous around us. Does Yamamoto know her? She responded to his voice—_

"Hahi! Tsuna-san's staring at the girl," Haru frowned. Yamamoto saw Tsuna panic.

"Am not!"

"But Haru saw you staring at her with a thoughtful gaze." She cocked her head and stared at him.

"E-Eh?" Tsuna looked around and saw that the girl already left. Haru scowled. "It's not like I'm accusing you of anything, desu. " Tsuna let out a breath and sagged his shoulders.

Yamamoto chuckled.

"Juudaime, is something wrong with that girl?"

Kasumi's head swivels to Tsuna.

"I…don't know, really," he said slowly. Kasumi's heart began to beat wildly again. "Don't you think that she looked familiar?"

"What do you mean?" Gokudera looked confused.

"Oh," Kyoko said, leaning in to be heard over the noise. The others did so as well. "She looked like someone from our school. But I don't remember who she is. The girl was always in the other class. I haven't seen her in a few years either. Tsuna-kun, do you remember? Her name was…Hi…hm…I don't remember."

Yamamoto scratched his head. He didn't really pay attention to girls, so he had no idea who they were talking about.

"But there's no way someone we know from Namimori would be working here in Sicily, right?" Tsuna said in a nervous tone.

"Hm. I guess…"

"That girl looked sort of startled, didn't she? Like a deer in headlights," Haru put in.

"I'll be right back," Kasumi announced and sprinted off towards the hall where the waitress disappeared to.

Yamamoto turned his head to see where she was going.

"Tch! Where does she think she's going?"

"Maybe she wants to eat something else?" Yamamoto guessed.

...

"Himiko!" Kasumi flew at the girl she recognised as her sister. They were alone in the corridor at the moment. Up ahead was the kitchen and they could hear pots and pans clattering and things frying.

Himiko's cap came off as they collided but she managed to keep them from falling to the floor.

"Himiko…"

She turned and gasped. "K-Kasumi…" Tears fell from her eyes and she wiped them away.

"Himiko!" They hugged tearfully and laughed.

"What are you doing here?" Himiko asked her sister, while still holding on to her tightly.

"School trip_. _I was also hoping to find you here somewhere because I know that they must have taken you here and…" Kasumi knew that she was babbling but she couldn't help it. She told Himiko all that happened over the past two years really quickly.

"We have to get you out of here. You can hide in our hotel! And then I can call kaa-san and tell her I found you."

"No, you can't do that!" Himiko cried.

"What?"

"Th-They'll find out that—that someone rescued me! You'll be in trouble! They'll never let me leave to tell the world that I know who's doing the trafficking!"

"Y-You—" Kasumi choked. "How would you know that!"

"I…I had to be his servant for a while," she said quietly. "It was terrible!"

"Shh, shh…" Kasumi hugged her when she began crying again. She patted her hair and back. "It's over. I'll get you out of here."

"N-No…" she wailed, "that happen… they—I overheard them say that—that I was being switched again…I don't know where I am headed to now."

"That means…that means I won't be able to find you again after this…?"

Himiko froze in shock and her eyes she broke down. "H-Hai…you won't be able t-to…oh, Kasumi…how…what…?" She fell to her knees and Kasumi followed.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out. Don't worry. I'll find a way." She stared into her twin's eyes and tried to convince the crying girl with her own determination. "Did they say when?"

"Tomorrow morning," she whispered.

"I'll get you out tonight," Kasumi said without thinking. Himiko gasped.

"No! You can't! They'll kill you!"

Kasumi's blood ran cold. "Himiko…how…" she gulped and tried again, "do you know…that…they might kill…me…?

"They—he—that man, he…" Himiko hiccupped. "He killed one of the boys who tried to escape…"

…

Kasumi splashed her face with cold water and held onto the rim of the sink. She closed her eyes and opened them. She lifted her head to look in the mirror, thinking back to the conversation she had with her sister for the first time in two years.

"_He killed one of the boys who tried to escape…he hung his dead body in front of the—the entrance as an example to anyone who planned on escaping. We pass his body every time we leave…it…Kasumi, god, I don't know how kaa-san could stand it—his body stank. It was horrible! We can't bear it any longer…"_

Kasumi sighed and closed her eyes again. _They actually killed a boy who wanted freedom. What will happen to Himiko and I if we get caught?_

...

Yamamoto noticed that Kasumi looked pale when she rejoined their group. Their food was being served to them by another waitress.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded and tried a smile. It must have worked, since Yamamoto returned his own smile. Or so she thought.

_Something happened. She`s been acting weirder and weirder lately,_ he thought as he helped unload the dishes onto the table.

She sighed in relief and sat down between Yamamoto and Kyoko. She looked up and froze. Tsuna was staring at her as if she was an open book.

It took her five seconds before she could tear her gaze away. _What was that? Sawada, he…looks worried, but his eyes are also looking at me as if… as if he's…as if he can see through me! _

She avoided eye contact with him for the rest of their lunch.

"That was filling!" Yamamoto stretched and laughed.

"That was very good!" Haru agreed.

"I wonder how Chrome is doing," Kyoko said. "She's with onii-chan, and he might scare her by being so loud."

"Tch! She better not be scared so easily!"

"Maa, it's alright. Chrome'll be fine!"

Kasumi shrugged inwardly. She wasn't particularly close with the girl. Plus, there was something about Chrome that made Kasumi wary.

...

"Otou-san?" She said when the call went through.

"_Kasumi! How was your day there? Did you enjoy—?"_

"I found HImiko!" She blurted out.

"_You what?"_

"I found Himiko in a restaurant! She was working as this waitress, and then she ordered our food, and then—!"

"_Hold the phone! What do you mean?"_ Her father seemed distracted.

"I saw her! You have to get here before tomorrow morning, otherwise she's going to be moved somewhere else!"

"_What—Kasumi! Don't you dare do anything on your own! We're coming as fast as we can! Don't do anything, you hear me? Don't do anything!"_

"But what about Himiko?" Kasumi shouted. "What's going to happen to her?"

Her father sighed. _"We're on our way. Don't worry. We'll be there as soon as possible."_

"O-Okay," she said. "Have a safe trip…Bye."

...

That night, Himiko awoke at eleven thirty. She tilted her head to the side and saw that Kyoko was fast asleep.

"Kyoko-chan," she whispered as loud as she dared. There was no response.

Sighing, she pulled away the blanket and sat up. She was dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt she brought with her and tight black pants. They were snug and comfortable to manoeuvre around in; she didn't want any extra weight or clothing to slow down her movements.

After long hours of thinking, she decided to bring her knife with her. It was something she bought earlier as a souvenir because the knife was one of the finest, according to the owner of it. Yamamoto also took a look at it and approved of her choice, although she had no idea what he knew of blades. Gokudera took an interest in it as well at the time, and grumbled a suggestion to her...something about buying a strap as well, for hiding it beneath clothing.

Then Tsuna shrieked and said that she didn't need it in the first place, so there was no need for a strap to hold it in place.

Just leave it to Gokudera to suggest the most random things.

She strapped it to her left arm. Now that she thought about it, the sheath could help protect her.

The knife was just slightly shorter than her forearm. _Maybe I should have bought two._

After making sure that it won't slip out, she stood and put on her shoes. The good thing about those was that they made absolutely no noise at all. Making sure that she had her key card in her pocket, she unlocked the door. She paused.

_What if they find the key card and trace it back to here? I might be putting everyone else in even more danger. _She plucked it out of her pocket and put it beneath the carpet outside the door so she could take it back when she returned. She made sure her pillows made it look as though she was still here if Kyoko decided to wake up in the middle of the night for a drink. Then she closed the door quietly.

She stepped back from the door and released the breath she was holding. "Okay…step one done. Now I have to get out of here without the security knowing."

She began to walk down the marble staircase.

...

Yamamoto was in a t-shirt on his bed looking at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. His roommate was Hibari, of all people. He was warned not to make a single sound or else he'd be bitten to death. A drop of sweat rolled off his forehead.

_Ahaha…I hope I don't wake him up…_

His eyes hardened as he thought of what happened during lunch. Kasumi seemed to be acting a little off, and this was after seeing the waitress that Tsuna and Kyoko seemed to recognise from a few years ago in Namimori as a student. What was going on?

Yamamoto had a gut feeling that Kasumi was about to do something stupid. _Maybe I should go talk to Tsuna._ He looked at the clock. It was eleven fifteen. Then he looked at Hibari. He was still asleep.

_Let's risk it, shall we?_

He sat up and paused. No biting. He put his feet to the ground. No biting yet. He slowly lifted his weight off the bed, making sure that it didn't make any of those noises beds made at the most troublesome time.

He didn't have luck on his side.

_CREAAAAAK…_

He froze with a nervous smile on his face as Hibari's eyes snapped open. He sat up and turned to Yamamoto with a cold glare.

"Um…" Yamamoto began.

"Herbivore, what are you doing?"

"I'm…going to see Tsuna…"

"Seeing other students in the middle of the night is forbidden. And you woke me up. I'll bite you to death."

"W-Wait!" Yamamoto scrambled to his feet and backed away from Hibari who was getting his precious pair of tonfa ready. He was still on the bed, but Yamamoto had no doubt that Hibari could be in front of him within two seconds.

"It's urgent! I have to speak to him about Kasami-chan!"

Hibari continued to stare. "Yamasaki Kasumi?"

"Y-Yeah!"

"What about her?"

Yamamoto blinked. Was Hibari really hearing him out? Whoa…

He explained to Hibari what he thought might happen and Hibari glowered even more. He was about to get up to bite Yamamoto to death, but instead he used a hand to cover a loud yawn.

"I will let you off tonight. Be back here before the morning, otherwise I will bite you and Sawada Tsunayoshi to death."

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, Hibari!" As Hibari got himself ready for bed again, Yamamoto ran to his own bed to change out of his pajamas. He snatched up Shigure Kintoki and his jacket before closing the door as quietly as he could.

Hibari, meanwhile, couldn't fall back asleep. He sat up and glared at the door._ It's all that herbivore's fault._ His blood was already pumping with adrenaline.

Outside in the dimly lit hallway, Yamamoto made his way to Tsuna and Gokudera's room. He saw light make its way through the cracks and sighed in relief.

"Good thing I'm not disturbing their sleep." He knocked three times.

"Huh?" He heard Tsuna's muffled voice say. "Who is it?"

"Yamamoto."

"Oh! Come in!" Yamamoto opened the door and slipped through. Tsuna was sitting on his bed. He didn't have anything in his hands. All he was doing was fingering his Vongola Ring. He did that more often when he was deep in thought nowadays.

Gokudera was at his own bed, reading a book with his glasses on. He put it down the moment Yamamoto came in and glared.

"What do you want so late at night?"

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said in dismay.

"Ah, my fault for disturbing you," Yamamoto said quickly. He gave Gokudera an apologetic wave and walked to Tsuna, dragging a chair with him.

"I think Kasumi-chan is up to something," he said, straight to the point. Tsuna nodded.

"Me too. I was deciding whether or not we should follow her."

Yamamoto and Gokudera stared at him.

"What?"

Tsuna rubbed his temple. "I've been getting this feeling that she's going out tonight and something bad's going to happen…it was written all over her face today during lunch."

"Hmph. Seems like Tsuna's Hyper Intuition is getting better," Reborn said from his hammock.

"Hey, kid."

"Hup!" Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's bed. "Yamamoto, you should follow her to make sure nothing happens."

"Me?"

"Yamamoto?" Tsuna pointed to his friend. "Only him? What about the rest of us?"

Reborn whacked Tsuna over the head. "You have to learn to hand out missions for your Guardians to complete. You can't do _everything_ with them. You'll be too busy with your own matters to go chasing after every little problem when you become boss."

"Reborn," Tsuna sighed.

"Tsuna, it's alright," Yamamoto said seriously. "Just ask me and I'll do it."

Tsuna looked at his friend hesitantly, then at Gokudera. Both were looking at him, waiting to see what he'd do.

"Have faith in your Guardians, Tsuna. You have to let them do things on their own once in a while." Tsuna lowered his head and frowned. Meanwhile, Yamamoto was putting on his jacket quietly. Tsuna sighed.

"Okay, Yamamoto. I'm leaving this in your hands," Tsuna said with an encouraging smile, although Yamamoto saw worry mixed in with it.

Yamamoto gave Tsuna his own reassuring smile and stood up.

"Oi, Yamamoto!"

"Yeah?" He turned to Reborn.

"She's not going to be able to make it out of this hotel because it's past cur few. She'll be stopped by the security guards. And they are the guards who are armed."

He shrugged the case with his katana onto his shoulder and zipped up his jacket.

"I'm off then."

With that, he left them and made his way quickly down the steps. There was not a single person in sight so far. But as he made his way into the lobby, he heard voices.

"What are you doing down here, miss? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I…need to get something…"

"In the middle of the night?" The guard sounded unconvinced.

"Yeah."

Yamamoto turned and saw them. He made his way to them as fast as he could.

"Yo."

They turned. Kasumi's eyes widened and she glanced at the door, then at them, thinking of a quick escape.

"What are you doing here as well?" The security guard asked. Yamamoto came closer and the guard recognised him. "O-Oh! You're the Rain!"

Yamamoto scratched his head and smiled. "I guess you can say that. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. Do you mind if we go out for a bit? She's with me."

The security guard was nodding before he finished talking. Kasumi stared at the guard in disbelief. He kept her there for five minutes! And then the baseball star comes along and he gives the okay? What was _wrong_ with him?

"Come on," Yamamoto whispered and gave her a slight push. He turned back to the security guard and waved. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" With that, they were out.

"How did you do that?" Kasumi demanded. Yamamoto let out a nervous chuckle.

"Erm…where are you headed?"

Kasumi shut her mouth and looked straight ahead. _I don't need to get anyone else involved in this._

"Thanks for getting me out. You can go back."

"Go back? No."

Kasumi stumbled and righted herself. She turned to Yamamoto. "Say what?"

"I'm going with you, wherever you're going." Yamamoto blinked. "Where _are_ you going?"

"I…" She sighed. "Yamamoto-kun, please just go back?"

Yamamoto appeared to be thinking.

_Please please please say you'll go back,_ she silently pleaded.

Yamamoto reluctantly nodded. He stepped back. "Fine. But promise me that you'll come back before morning. Otherwise, Hibari's going to bite you to death.

She shuddered. "Definitely."

She watched as Yamamoto retreated be were back into the hotel. She stayed there for another minute before walking again. Then she stopped and hit her head to the wall. "Oh baka! I still didn't find out how he got the guard to let me out!"

She was alone on the streets except for a few people rushing home after a long day at work. There were a few teenagers across the street, smoking something. Someone told a joke and the rest laughed their heads off. Then one noticed her and called out. Not knowing what he said, she quickened her pace and passed them. They laughed as she left.

She turned into one street and then another. She had the scary feeling that someone was following her, but when she snuck a look at a reflective mirror on a car, there was no one there.

_Oh gosh. This is scary. Maybe I should have let Yamamoto-kun come with me…another person would have made this trip less scary. Please, whoever's following me, don't see me, don't see me, don't see me, don't see me, don't see me! I have to save Himiko! I don't have time to get kidnapped myself! I must save her!_

She continued to chant as she walked faster and towards her destination.

The area was one of abandoned warehouses which were in the middle of being demolished.

She hid behind a tree and knelt. She stared at the building the kidnapped kids were presumably held in. There was no light, so she couldn't be sure if that was it.

But she saw signs that showed that this place was used recently. She scanned the area, trying to see if there were any security cameras.

_I don't see any…and any of the traffickers around? _She watched and listened. She heard someone laughing and shouting. _Sounds like them._

"Oh, so this is where you are! I lost you for a bit back there. You suddenly disappeared."

Kasumi literally jumped out of her skin in freight.

Yamamoto crouched beside her with a smile. "Sorry, I scared you, didn't I?"

"Forget that," she hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you," he said seriously. He looked into her eyes and she gulped.

"Euh…"

Yamamoto grinned. "I wasn't sure whether you'd let me come with you, so I followed you here after I "went back" to the hotel. What are you doing here anyways? Here's not a good place."

"How would you know that?"

Yamamoto opened his mouth and closed it. "Well, just looking at it, you can see that it's no good right? Ahaha…" _Shoot… Lucky! I almost let it slip that the kid made us all memorize places that deal with the mafia in Sicily a while back…and this one…he ordered us off limits, no matter how much Tsuna argued. He said that…he didn't want Tsuna involved in the…what was this? Ah, right: human trafficking business. He didn't want the famiglia to know that Vongola Decimo was causing their business some problems. Otherwise, bad things between the families would happen. The kid said it was better to let the police deal with it._

All this thought was in two seconds.

He asked, "Since we're already here, do you think you could tell me _why_ you are here?"

Kasumi stared at Yamamoto, figuring her odds.

"I'll go back and tell them where you are," he threatened. Kasumi sighed.

"Okay, okay…here's the thing…my sister, Yamasaki Himiko, was kidnapped two years. She's in there." She thrust her thumb in that direction. She then gave him a more detailed version of what happened, but she did so quickly because time was running out.

"Okay, so you want to save her?" Yamamoto said. He really wanted to help, but..._ Reborn's orders…no one related to the Vongola's allowed to interfere._

"Right. So you said that you'd help. You with me? Let's go." She stood.

Yamamoto grabbed her arm and pulled it back with haste. "No, wait."

"Huh?"

"I can't interfere," he began and stopped. He winced and looked away, wondering how to explain without giving away the mafia.

Kasumi scrunched up her brows. "Wh-What do you mean, you can't interfere?"

"Why don't we just wait for the police? You're not up to fighting with the mafia." _Although this famiglia is pretty small, they have strong alliances with bigger famiglias who are part of the Vongola Alliance…I can't do this._

He felt Kasumi's arm shake in his hand. "What…everyone is telling me to wait…wait…wait and wait…wait for what? If I wait for the police to come, it will be too late, Yamamoto-kun!"

Yamamoto gave her a sad smile and tightened his grip on her when she tried to shake him off.

"Just…" He paused and thought._ The kid said that no one can find out that the Vongola had to do with it…that means, if I go in there, not as a Vongola member, it might work…I just can't let anyone know that I'm Tsuna's Rain Guardian. But that's kind of impossible now that we've all been exposed to the Mafia during the ceremony. If only I can put on a disguise…ah! The cap I bought!_

He left go of Kasumi and dug in his jacket pocket for the baseball cap he bought. He looked up with a smile and froze. Kasumi was dashing off.

Yamamoto swore and followed her as he put the cap on. It covered his face but didn't interfere with his vision.

He heard the whirring on mechanics and sped up. Kasumi was at the fence now, taking out the knife to pick at the lock. Yamamoto looked at the top of the fence and found the guns.

"Kasumi!" he whispered urgently. She turned back to him as the locks gave way. His feet left the ground as he leaped onto her. They were pushed to the ground as they slid. Yamamoto made sure that he took most of the impact as they fell.

The guns went off at the spot where she was standing seconds ago.

"Run!" Yamamoto half dragged her towards some crates. They hid as the guns lost their target. "Whew. That was a close one." He turned to Kasumi who was still in shock. He put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. "H-Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine…just…I didn't see those guns."

"They were hidden in their boxes. They responded to your movements and became active, so they came out and began firing." She nodded slowly as she let this sink in.

"Thanks…Yamamoto-kun."

"Don't mention it." Then she noticed the cap. She motioned towards it with her chin.

"What's with the hat?"

"Oh, I uh," Yamamoto smiled slightly. "I like wearing it."

"Ah…" She turned back to the building.

Yamamoto said in a whisper, "That would have alerted the people. I'll deal with them while you go and look for your sis. Okay?"

"What? You can't deal with them all by yourself!"

Yamamoto laughed. "Of course I can! Don't worry about me. Worry about Himiko-chan. Let's see if the door's guarded."

She reluctantly agreed and they ran to the door. They didn't encounter anyone until they reached the main doors to the warehouse.

Yamamoto skidded to a halt and stopped Kasumi with an arm before they turned to face the other side of the warehouse. She gave him a questioning look and all he did was put a finger to his lips.

"Stay here," he whispered. She frowned but nodded. He left her there and snuck up on the person who was napping outside the doors.

Kasumi moved forwards a bit to see what Yamamoto was up to. She saw him hit the man just slightly higher than the shoulder blades. She stared at him when the man fell unconscious. He gave her the "okay" signal.

"How did you do that?" She whispered. Yamamoto grinned.

"I learned that a while ago. Let's go. I hear them coming."

"_Hey you two! What are you doing there?"_ Two men with guns were at the other end.

Kasumi froze in shock. _Oh no. We're doomed!_

Yamamoto shoved her into the warehouse.

"Hey! Yamamoto-kun! What are you doing!"

"Stay there! Look for Himiko-chan!"

Kasumi gulped. She tried to pull at the door but it won't budge. She kicked it in frustration and turned to face the dark room. She gulped. She heard crying and sniffling. And there was also a terrible odour in here.

Outside, Yamamoto's Shigure Kintoki was transformed into its legendary form as he faced off the opponents. He used stance after stance to block the bullets and advanced towards them. His eyes narrowed.

Inside, Kasumi felt the wall for a switch of some sort. She found a lever and pulled hard. There was some groaning and clicking from the mechanics and then—the lights came on in full blast.

_How does such a place have working lights? _

She squinted. Five seconds later, she was blinking tears from her eyes for either from the dust or what she saw, she wasn't sure.

"Himiko!"

"Sis!" Himiko sat up but choked. She lay back down with a wince and the clanking of chains. Kasumi was momentarily shocked at the sight of so many people her age in shackles attached to beds. Their necks were in cuffs so that they couldn't move more than a few feet—the same goes for their hand and leg. They were allowed some movement, but none which can help them run away.

She sprinted to her sister's bunk and touched her hand. The cuff had scraped it near raw. She winced.

"Sorry…"

"What…how did you get in? There's someone outside guarding the door…"

"Yamamoto-kun is dealing with it," Kasami held a breath and let it go. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again. "He's doing fine. We're going to get all of you out of here."

There were murmurs all over. Some were still asleep. Those who were awake doubted her.

"How can you save us? You're just a girl," a boy said. Kasumi stood angrily and faced him.

"Yeah? Well unlike you guys, I'm not locked up! I'm going to free you and that's that!"

She knelt back down to Himiko and took out her knife. Himiko narrowed her eyes.

"Kaa-san's going to get mad when she sees you with that."

"It's nothing. No biggie. I'm using it to get you out." She began to pick the lock with the tip of the blade. The skill was taught to her and Himiko a long time ago by their father, who wanted to make sure that they knew how to escape a variety of situations unscathed.

"Otou-san's coming soon. They'll be here in a few hours. For now, we just have to hang tight."

The hand cuff fell to the floor, and then the one attached to her leg. She went to work on the one on Himiko's neck. Then she was free.

"Stay on the bed—rest for a bit while we get you out." With that she went to work on the locks on the girl next to Himiko. When she was done, she turned back to the door, worried.

"Kasumi, give me the knife. I'll help the rest of them. You go and check Yamamoto-kun."

"Are you sure?"

Himiko nodded and held out a hand for the weapon. Kasumi gave it and ran to the door. She put her ear against it and heard fighting. People were groaning with weapons clattering to the ground…then nothing. She backed away from the door. _Did Yamamoto defeat all of them?_

She turned around and saw that all of them were free. She took her knife back from her sister and sheathed it.

"How are we going to get out?" someone asked.

"When all of them are down, we'll run," Kasumi said.

"Isn't that a bit too simple?"

"Uh…"

The back door slammed.

_Wait. BACK DOOR?_ Kasumi turned around and came face to face with a scrawny man in a white t-shirt and baggy jeans. He had a cigarette in his mouth which he now put out. He approached her. She backed away from him.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

"Careful," Himiko muttered. "He may look like a weakling, but he's definitely _not_ one."

Kasumi grunted and prepared a fighting stance.

"Oh? We have a fighting one here. I thought all of you were broken dolls already."

He stopped two feet away from Kasumi and looked down on her. She had a long way to look up. She decided that she should attack first.

She kicked him at the knees and he stumbled back.

_Quick. I have to be quick._ She kicked again at his side. This was a mistake. He grabbed her leg and twisted. She yelped and was twirled in the air before he let go. But she didn't hit the ground like he expected her to. Instead, she continued to spin and landed while still turning. She used the momentum to give power to her next kick, which was aimed at his neck.

"Hah!" Foot and neck connected. Both landed on the floor. The man hit his head against the concrete and didn't move again. Her foot was still on his neck with her left foot flat on the ground. Her right elbow was supporting the rest of her weight.

"Himiko?"

"Hm?"

"I…don't think he's strong."

"Mm. Now that you mention it, neither do I."

Kasumi was about to lift her leg but the man's arm shot out to hold it in an iron grip. She cried out in alarm and pain as he twisted and slowly get to his feet, dragging her leg up with him.

"It seems like I underestimated you," he cleared his head by giving it a shake. "I won't do that again."

"What—no!" She looked around and saw Himiko still there. "Himiko! Go outside! Get help!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Get help from Yamamoto! He's right outside! Hurry!"

With a pained look, Himiko ran.

Kasumi was slowly being pulled to him and from her position, there was nothing she could do about. Still, she wiggled like a dying fish on land and thrashed out as much as she could.

"Let—GO OF ME!" She kicked his face with the other leg but he ducked. Then he grabbed hold of that leg as well.

...

Himiko barged through the door, which was now weakened. She was out in the night air. She took in a deep breath. Oh, how easy it would be to just run off. But Kasumi needed her.

She ran to look for Yamamoto. She passed unconscious bodies and found one propped on the wall. She recognised him as Yamamoto.

"Yamamoto-kun!"

She ran and fell to kneel beside him. She shook him.

"Oh, this ain't good! Is he dead?" She asked herself and shook him a second time.

He groaned and she sighed. She shook him again.

"Yamamoto-kun!"

Yamamoto opened his eyes as slow as ever and focused on the face in front of him.

"Kasumi-chan…?" He saw the long hair and had a confused expression. "When did you grow your hair?"

"Um…no, I'm Himiko…"

"Himiko-chan!" Yamamoto grinned. "So you're safe?"

"Kasumi's captured by someone! He's the guy who killed Norbert, the dude who tried to escape!" Yamamoto's eyes began to fill with worry.

"Let's go then."

"Wait! Are you okay? Are you sure you should be standing?"

Yamamoto grimaced. "One of them caught me by surprise and shot a bullet at me. I'll be fine," he added when she gasped. "It was just a little graze and I bandaged it." He grunted and stood. _I need more training. _"Come on. There's no time to waste. I called my friends and the kid said that the police are on their way here as well as other Mafia. We'd better finish up and get out of here."

"What…" She followed him as they ran back to the warehouse. "Yamamoto-kun, what do you mean by your friends? And kid? What kid? And why do we have to leave before they arrive? Shouldn't we wait for the police so they could capture these people and stop other Mafiosi from coming?"

"It's all dealt with. My friends will back me up. Come on!"

...

Soon, the captor had her upside down. She felt her blood rush to her brain. In minutes, she knew that she would be too dizzy to be able to do anything. Even now, she felt slightly numb.

"Hah! See how strong you are now, little girl! Be sure to remember that you can't fight me!" He waved his arms to make her sway back and forth. This caused her to almost black out. It was sheer willpower that kept her conscious, but barely. _Stupid man!_

"Kasumi!" Himiko and Yamamoto arrived.

"Stay back!" he ordered the rest when Himiko tried to run to her twin's aid. She and Yamamoto froze.

Kasumi knew that Himiko was a brave soul and won't just stop because someone ordered her to. Then she faintly heard a gun being cocked.

"No one…" she muttered, "threatens Himiko except…me…!"

With this in mind, she made one last effort to reach for the knife hidden beneath a sleeve. She held firmly onto the hilt and pulled it out with the speed she didn't know she had.

For some reason, his left leg twitched as if he dodged an invisible blow. She allowed herself to have a split second of confusion before stabbing the knife into his right leg. She was dropped on her shoulder but she didn't feel the pain yet.

Himiko kicked the gun away and Kasumi jumped onto the man, making sure to make her knees hit his stomach. He gasped as the air left him.

_Oops. I think I broke a rib…_ She used the knife's hilt to hit his temple _hard_, and then waited. He didn't move. She poked his sides and found that indeed, she had accidentally cracked a bone.

_"Tie him up!"_ Someone with a shrill voice said.

_"Yeah, with what?"_

"Lock him up on one of the beds," Kasumi said and dragged him to the nearest one. The others seemed to like this idea.

_"Let's see how he likes to be stuck in chains!"_

_"Yeah!"_ Another agreed.

"_Tighten them so he has trouble breathing," _someone suggested. _"He'll be tortured that way."_

"_No,"_ Kasumi replied in Italian and faced the person with a frown. _"We can't…"_ _Uh…_"Cutting off his air will kill him."

"_We can't kill him," _Himiko translated when Kasumu didn't know what to say in Italian. Kasumi nodded.

_"Even though he treated us badly?"_ Someone said with a Chinese accent. Kasumi blinked and then took a better look at them all.

It seemed like people were kidnapped from all over the world.

Kasumi nodded. _"We can't. We'll be just as bad as them."_

_"But he killed Norbert!"_ A boy snarled. _"I'm not going to forgive him!"_ He stomped towards the bed.

Kasumi backed away, fearing the anger this boy had. She was still recovering from her little show and was afraid she didn't have the strength to stop this guy.

They boy had picked up the gun with tears in his eyes. Kasumi gulped. The safety was off. If he pulled that trigger…

_"No!"_

_"Wait!"_

Someone pushed his hand away at the last second and the shot pinged harmlessly off the wall. Kasumi slowly opened her eyes and saw Yamamoto holding the boy's hand. He had a stern look on his face.

_"What were you thinking?"_ He growled.

_"Why'd you stop me? Let go, you—"_

Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to talk sense in the guy, Yamamoto sat on him.

_"Hey!"_

Kasumi covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. The scene was hilarious! Yamamoto was sitting on the to-be-murderer so easily, and the boy was flailing about, trying to get the baseball player off him.

_"Listen! Killing him won't do you any good."_

_"Shut up!"_

_"You don't want to kill him. You'll regret it. __Do you want to be a murderer?"_

_"No one will know,"_ he was a stubborn boy with a grudge.

"You _will know. Deep in your heart, you will know. Yours sins…"_ Yamamoto trailed off. _"You won't be able to forgive yourself."_

The boy thought. Yamamoto slowly got up. _"The police are coming. They'll give this guy the proper punishment. He'll be staying in prison for the rest of his life." We'll see to that._ _"You can honour your friend's death by remembering him. Remember his resolve to escape. It takes a lot of determination and bravery to run."_

The boy went slack and wept openly.

First was the shock. Then the relief. Everyone hugged each other and laughed.

_"We're going home!"_

"Oh, shoot!" Yamamoto said quietly.

"Huh?" Kasumi was beside him as they watched the kidnapped celebrate.

"We have to leave. What would your dad say if he saw you here?"

"Oh snap." Kasumi ran to Himiko and whispered the news to her. They hugged and she went back to Yamamoto.

"Okay."

They nodded to each other and ran through the back door and didn't stop until they were a few blocks away.

"What about the Mafia people who are going to be there as back up?" Kasumi asked while panting. Yamamoto was fine, after training for so long. He grinned.

"It's already dealt with."

...

"Come on! They need back up! Hurry," The leader barked. A group of thirty were running down the street to the warehouses.

They were dressed in all black and were armed with guns and any other weapons they used.

A yard away, they were stopped by a figure that suddenly appeared in front of their group. The person's figure was indistinguishable in the dark except for the orange flame on the forehead. As the person came to a stop, the flames danced, leaving a trail that disappeared as the flames settled.

Another figure joined the first. There was no lighting on this one.

"Who are you? Get out of the way!" The leader pointed his gun to the one with a flame on his forehead. When he received no reply, he fired a round at where he thought the person was.

He didn't move. The bullets were flying at him. The figure was suddenly shielded by something and he was momentarily blocked from view for two seconds.

The leader smirked and lowered his gun. But all of them were stunned when they saw that the figure was _still standing_. They noticed several small lumps of shadows and spikes in the moonlight, but that was insignificant at the moment.

"Wh-Who are you?"

"Th-That flame!"

The flame was beginning to grow bigger on the forehead and hands. It was so bright the faces of the people were visible.

The leader backed away slightly. "Th-That's…that-that's Vongola's Dying Will Flame…" he stuttered. Then he straightened.

"Get out of the way, Vongola. You can't interfere with our business when it's on our own property."

Tsuna calmly stared at them. Then he turned to his companion.

"Are we on their property?"

"No," the second figure said coldly. "These herbivores aren't on it either."

Tsuna nodded slowly. "I thought so."

"Wait, stop! What are you going to do, attack us? Our allies will avenge us!"

"We're the Vongola and I won't let you harm others," Tsuna said. "I'll use my power to stop you if I have to."

...

"Yamamoto! Over here!"

Yamamoto and Kasumi darted into the alley as a group of thirty passed them. Hands grabbed them and pulled the two deeper in. Yamamoto resisted fighting, knowing who it was.

Once they rounded the corner, he turned to Gokudera.

"Thanks, Gokudera. You're a life saver!"

"Tch."

Yamamoto laughed. "Well, thank you anyways. Shall we go?"

"Yeah. You need to get that looked at anyways." He pointed to the arm that Yamamoto was now covering with his other hand shakily.

"Ahaha…" They ran on, this time accompanied by Gokudera.

"Are you sure they'll be fine?" she whispered. "That was a lot of…there were a lot of them…"

"Don't worry," Yamamoto reassured.

At the hotel, the security didn't even bat an eyelid when they came in. He just glanced at them and continued reading his magazine.

Gokudera led them up and dropped Kasumi off at her room.

"Right. Forget what happened, will you?" Gokudera growled. "It'll go you better to forget than to remember." Kasumi gawked at him.

"What? There's no way I can forget that Yamamoto-kun helped save my sister and all the others!"

Gokudera turned his head to the side and stared at a patch of the wall.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-kun," Kasumi bowed. He scratched his head and laughed quietly.

"Well, just keep it a secret, okay? I don't want everyone in the school knowing about it either," he whispered. Kasumi nodded.

"Don't worry. Himiko and I won't let it slip that you guys helped us."

"Even if you did, we'll deny it," Gokudera added. Yamamoto nudged him. Gokudera winced. "What was that for, baseball freak!"

"Shh!" Yamamoto gave Kasumi a last wave before pushing Gokudera along so he won't get into a heated argument with the girl in the middle of the night.

"Thank you again, Yamamoto-kun. Thank you very much!"

"Don't mention it!" He laughed. "Good night!"

"Thanks," she whispered again before entering her room, now as a different person than the one who left.

On their way home, they had a conversation on the plane that will remain in their memory forever.

"Are you in the mafia?" Kasumi asked Yamamoto. Yamamoto looked surprised.

"What..? Kasumi-chan, what makes you think that?"

"It was just a thought," she said. "You appeared. You knew a lot about the Mafia. You know how to fight and everything." She was watching Yamamoto's eyes carefully. Uncharacteristically, they grew blank, expressionless.

"Kasumi-chan, I don't know what you're talking about," Yamamoto said quietly.

Kasumi turned her head to look out the window. "Sure you don't."

"Ah..." Yamamoto bit his lip. "Why are you asking?" Yamamoto asked, dropping his smile.

Kasumi sighed. "I'm going to follow my parents' footsteps. I'm aiming to be in the organised crime division of the police force."

Yamamoto stiffened. "Oh."

Silence loomed over them for a few minutes.

"I know that we're pretty much friends, but that won't stop anything," Kasumi said quickly. "If I have to...I'll arrest you."

"Kasumi-chan, I absolutely have no idea what you're trying to get at," he said cheerfully.

Kasumi frowned with a sigh. She was pretty sure he had some kind of connection to the Mafia. Heck, maybe Gokudera did do. Anyone else?_ No, I don't think so. And at their age, I would guess that they're just underlings. Maybe the could get away if they change their minds now._

She began to speak but closed her mouth. Yamamoto would just keep denying that he wasn't part of it. She felt sad inside. Here, she supposed the friendship would end.

"Yamamoto-kun, you say you aren't in the Mafia, and I am aiming for being with the police, so I think you'd better make sure I don't find evidence of you being part of the Mafia."

Yamamoto grinned. "You bet!"

…

**Ten Years Later...**

Kasumi and her partner were dressed as civilians, but underneath their jackets they wore weapons assigned to them as part of the police force.

"I don't see what they are getting at," her partner said.

"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked.

"The Mafia. What are they planning? We're here because they're supposed to have a meeting here later tonight. And there are supposed to be some people the police are after."

"Yeah?" Kasumi said and casually surveyed her surroundings. "And the police are planning on busting in and arresting a dude in the middle of a mob gathering...That's crazy. If we know about it, they are probably suspicious too."

"I can't agree more with you. See anyone suspicious?"

"No."

The fact was, Fuuta was in the area, looking around to see if the cops had caught wind of the meeting. Tsuna-nii would be part of it, and he wanted to make sure that there was nothing that would put him in danger. Then his inner senses said, "COP!" He looked around and spotted two adults: one female, and one male. They were just hanging around, not doing anything. Fuuta sighed. It seemed like the police _were_ in the area.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Takeshi-nii."

_"Fuuta! How is it?"_

"I see two cops around the area. I think they'll have to shift the meeting place a few blocks over."

_"Hm,"_ was Yamamoto's reply. _"Alright. I'll tell Tsuna. Let's switch."_

"Okay."

Yamamoto came into the open and stretched. He was in a plain shirt and pants to blend in, since his suit would stick out like a beacon. He scanned the area.

Kasumi was doing a second scan as her partner looked at the other direction.

Yamamoto and Kasumi stiffened when they saw each other.

Yamamoto was surprised by her appearance. She looked very different. Her hair had gotten longer, until the middle of her back. It was tied in a pony tail. Her face had become more angular. More sharp. Her eyes were the ones of a trained professional to spot the smallest details.

Kasumi was also giving Yamamoto a once-over. He must have grown at least another foot in height. His skin was tanned and it seemed like he wasn't slacking in training at all. She saw a cloth bag over his shoulder. It must be the katana she remembered from ten years ago. She noticed a deep scar on his chin. His eyes were calm and calculating. They flashed with recognition before his mouth twisted into the smile she remembered him always wearing during their school days. Then he turned and walked away.

"Did you see someone we were briefed on?" her partner asked. "One of the top guys?"

Kasumi stared after Yamamoto with sad eyes. "Yeah." she turned slowly to her partner. "The Mafia dons are meeting here."

**THE END**

* * *

><p>Now, you probably hate me for ending it like this, but hey, they each have their own goals in life and their own jobs to do! Would you rather I made Kasumi a crooked cop? That wouldn't fit her character.<p>

I really like knowing what you all think of my stories, so if you like it, or don't like it, please tell me your reasons! I'm really curious. It will also help me understand what makes a good story so that future ones would be better.

_**-LLM**_

_**Edited 2013-08-24th**_


	4. Vongola Storm Guardian

**Stormy Mission  
><strong>

_ONESHOT_

**…**

**REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT_ CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Time: **Tsuna & Co. are in their third year of middle school. After Representative Battle arc (Arcobalenos are babies).

**Summary: **Amato Isamu is the heir to his grandfather's family, the Amato Famiglia. Trouble comes when the eldest son disagrees to the choice of heir. Isamu, being fresh and new to this dark, dark world and situation, has no clue as to how to respond…and becomes wary when Smoking Bomb Hayato lends a hand…

* * *

><p>He walked into the large building. Immediately, the strong smell of disinfectant used by hospitals invades his sense of smell.<p>

"Hello, Isamu-kun," a nurse smiled at the teen.

"…Hi."

"Are you visiting your grandfather or are you injured again?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I'm visiting this time."

She turned to the computer and tapped in a few keys.

Isamu noticed his reflection in the window as he looked around. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt with baggy blue jeans. His right ear was pierced but he avoided wearing a stud on school days in case the Disciplinary Committee caught him with jewellery. _Which,_ he thought with a scoff, _doesn't make sense since Hibari wears some kind of bracelet himself._

"Isamu-kun, just sign this and you may enter."

He nodded his thanks and went on.

"Come in," a quiet yet strong masculine voice said. Isamu entered and slid the door closed behind him. He turned back to his grandfather on the bed. He didn't look too well today and this worried him.

"Get closer. I can't see you properly from that far!" Amato Renzo barked out.

"How are you doing, Oji-chan?"

Renzo grunted and said, "A bit better, a bit worse. I don't even know why they put me in the ICU anyways."

Isamu's eyebrow twitched. "So...which is it?"

The old man laughed and waved a tired hand. "It doesn't matter. Come—I have something to tell you."

"Yes?" Isamu dreaded the news, although he didn't know why. Maybe it was the regret in his grandfather's eyes.

"I have decided," He paused, as if rethinking his decision. He took in a deep breath and continued, "To continue on with our family's tradition."

Isamu blinked a few times. He knew that his family was actually part of the Italian mob, even if they lived in Japan for the past five years. Both of his parents were Italian, although he knew there was some Japanese blood mixed in somewhere. His parents wanted him to experience both cultures, so every five years he would switch between the countries—or more often, if he wished.

Since he was ten, he was taught a few tricks that will save him from sticky situations. More recently, his training had levelled up to firearms and martial arts. So he wasn't exactly your daily helpless guy. But—

"What tradition?" …He was still pretty clueless when it comes to family affairs.

"Isamu, do you know how the heir of our family is chosen?"

"Uh…no?"

"We chose the youngest son to inherit the spot of boss—ultimogeniture. This would have been my son—your father, if he lived," Renzo said bitterly. Isamu's throat constricted and he swallowed the lump that was forming. He took in a deep breath.

"But he didn't…"

"No," Renzo agreed. "So as his son, and the youngest Amato in the family, it is _you_ who will now inherit my title."

He stared at his grandfather.

"Old man, I think you've officially lost your marbles." He was quickly smacked on the head by none other than this old man who has presumably lost his marbles.

"Fool. Take things seriously for once."

"I can hardly take this seriously. I mean, dude, I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not even interested. Besides, you don't have to follow tradition. I would suggest Teo to be the next leader."

Teodoro, his oldest brother was nineteen. To most people's eyes, he was very skilled. Isamu believed that Teo was strong enough to lead their family, even though he may not have a lot of experience. _Experience can be gained, _he reasoned. Teo continuously reminded Isamu that he could beat him to a pulp every so often anyways! Their other brother, Mamoru, age eighteen, had absolutely no interest in taking over and staying in one place to give out orders. Instead, he liked going all over the world, negotiating with other families, as well as acting as an ambassador for the Vongola; he was never in one country for more than a few weeks.

"I know what I am doing. Besides—there is tradition to follow."

"What, that ulti-something thing?"

"Ultimogeniture, you little dimwit."

"Yeah, that…uh…couldn't you break away from tradition?"

His grandfather gave his grandson a grin. "Tradition can never go wrong, boy. Teo is not fit to be the boss of _our_ famiglia. Run along now. You have a lot of homework, don't you?"

"Don't just change the subject! This is my future we're talking about, you know?"

"Of course it's your future! That's why I'm telling you!" His grandfather rolled his eyes. "Go on. And be careful, my dear grandson. I want you to know that I'm actually sorry that you have to go into the heart of our dark world, but that is how it is. You will find help with—"

Isamu let out an exasperated sigh. "How am I supposed to find help? Mamoru could probably help me, but he's not around right now! And plus, what do you think Teo's going to do to me when he finds out?"

"Deal with it, baka! You know how to fight!"

"Stop calling me baka, oji-baka!"

"I will call you baka if I wish, BAAAKA. Learn to respect your elders while you're at it, eh?"

"Jeez! I don't know why they keep you here! We should just toss you into some other room! You're in perfect condition if you can argue that much!"

Renzo grinned. _"Ciao,_ my baka grandson. Watch your step."

"Don't worry…" Isamu replied uncomfortably at the warning. He left the room feeling very cautious about everything. He tsked. _Darn oji-chan for putting those thoughts in my head. Yeesh, now I'm all paranoid. _He smiled and bid goodbye to the nurse as he walked out. _Come to think about it, if it's traditional, that means everyone already knows that I'm supposed to be the heir…no wonder Teo's always been so cold towards me…although there _have_ been times when he acts nice and superior…pfft. That's probably because he thinks that Oji-chan will choose him in the end. But no one's ever treated me like an heir. And that sounds like a good thing!_

He snapped out of his thoughts as he rounded a corner and side stepped to dodge someone. In fact, they would have collided, if he and the other person didn't have fast reflexes.

"Tch! Watch where you're going," an angry voice said.

He looked at the face of the person and raised his eyebrows. He nodded a greeting and said, _"Ciao, Hayato."_

"Amato kid," Gokudera cocked his own eyebrow at the young Mafiosi who he met many years ago at a Vongola alliance party. They've recently had eye contact when both attended Nami-chuu but never held a conversation. Gokudera may act irrationally most of the time, but he wasn't about to attack a known ally while aware of the consequences.

"What are you doing here?" Gokudera asked when he noticed that he was at the entrance of the hospital.

Isamu shrugged. "Grandpa's in the hospital. I just went to visit him before heading home."

"Yeah? So who's taking charge of the famiglia at the moment then?"

Isamu frowned a narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why would you care? You're just a freelancer. Oh, whatever. My grandpa's still well enough to give out instructions, so he's still boss. Not sure for how long though," he muttered the last part which wasn't meant for Gokudera's ears.

Being Gokudera, he heard it anyways and he wasn't in the slightest worried about pissing others off. _And,_ he was irritated at being called a freelancer.

"Che. He's on his last leg then? Guess you have to pick up the slack. Good luck with that."

Isamu's eyes widen. "How'd you know that?"

"Know what?"

"Know about the stupid inheritance!"

Gokudera raised his eyebrows again and sighed. He began walking as he replied. "Everyone knows about your family's old tradition. It's the most ridiculous inheritance system in mafia history—in fact, you're the only famiglia who goes that way. You better watch your step. That guy you have for a brother, Teodoro, might decide that you need a little…_backstabbing." _

Isamu scowled. "Why is everyone telling me that?"

...

At the entrance of his house—a large one compared to the ones that his other classmates own—he was met by his brother who was just taking off his shoes. He was two heads taller than Isamu and was well tanned.

"Oh—Teo, you're back!"

Teo slid his bag off his shoulder and glanced at him. He smirked. "Yo, lil' bro." He flicked his finger at Isamu's forehead.

"Ite…could you stop doing that all the time?" Isamu groaned and rubbed his head. He tossed his bag onto a chair. Then Teo laughed and had him in a headlock. "Hey! You're choking me!"

Isamu struggled and kicked Teo's foot. He received a punch to the face.

"Ow!" Isamu managed to return the punch with enough force to make Teo let go.

"You brat."

"You hit me first," Isamu retorted and gently touched his cheek.

"Well, you annoy me." Teo gave Isamu a glare. Isamu blinked in return.

"What—?"

Teo ignored him and went upstairs. "Don't bother me. I have to finish a paper for the university."

Isamu sighed and went into the kitchen. "Jeez. Mom, I'm home…"

"Welcome back!" She was a woman whose beauty shone naturally. Isamu inherited his mother's face—but as he grew, it became more boyish—but the eyes never changed. They were still the same shade of dark brown.

"You two should really stop fighting. How did your visit with your oji-chan go?"

"It went fine," he said and leaned on the counter. "He told me about the family's…tradition…what are you doing?" He scrunched up his nose as he watched his mother crush some awful smelling herbs and other chemical substances. Vials were all over the tables.

At the mention of that, his mother smiled slightly and patted his head. "I know you'll do great. Oh, this? It's nothing. I'm just starting a batch of smoke bombs." Isamu sighed. _Smoke bombs? Can't she just buy them from Yoshimuto? The ones she's making smell funny. Maybe it's a new formula?_

"M_om_… should you really be saying that? You're supposed to be telling me how worried you'd be, and tell me to refuse, so that I wouldn't have to be injured or worried of living through each day!"

His mother, Akane, laughed her musical laugh that was what caught his father's attention in the first place. Even at the age of thirty-nine, she still held that charm.

"Don't get me wrong. I will worry about you for the rest of your life—so much that you'd just wish I'd leave you alone for a while! But you must also understand that _you_ are the one who will lead this family towards greatness—which is why I'm going to be tutoring you." She patted his hand and stared directly into his eyes with her brown ones.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. I don't want to do this."

"You'll live with it once you realise how important our family is—" His mother suddenly collapsed in a fit of coughing. He held onto her shaking frame as she hacked her lungs out.

"Are you alright?"

"F-Fine… _cough cough…_I'm alright. Just…need to catch my breath."

"What? No, this isn't right!" He looked into the house, desperate for someone to help him. Their housekeeper had gone home for the day, since her son was sick. He ran through his mind of who should be home. His aunts and uncles were out on a cruise. His older cousins were probably out clubbing.

"Ah!" He thought of one. "TEO! TEO!"

"WHAT? I'm busy!" A voice came from the third floor. The voice echoed through the empty house.

"MOM'S NOT ACTING RIGHT! SHE'S COUGHING LIKE CRAZY! HELP!" he hollered up. Running footsteps came down and he saw his brother jump the remaining steps. His handsome face was filled with confusion and something else, but Isamu had no time to identify it.

"Mom, what's up?" Teo said. "What happened?"

"I'm alright, Teo. You don't need to worry," she said softly and cleared her throat. This caused her to cough again. This time it sounded worse, with blood being coughed up. Teo's brows knitted together.

"We need to go to the hospital."

Isamu nodded.

Teo picked up their mother easily and began running for the car. He tossed his cell phone back to Isamu who caught it.

"Call them to get a stretcher or something ready," he ordered and opened the door to put his mother in the back seat. Isamu clambered in after and Teo took the driver's seat.

"Okay!"

They drove for only fifteen minutes, thanks to Teo driving over the speed limit. He skidded to a stop so suddenly in front of the hospital that the tires left marks on the pavement. Isamu opened the door and helped his mother, who was near fainting, to get out of the car.

The paramedics were already waiting for them and rushed her to the emergency room immediately.

"Go. I'll park the car and follow."

Isamu followed the doctors worriedly.

"What happened to her?" One asked.

"I don't know! We were just talking, and she suddenly started coughing!"

"We'll take care of her, kid. Just wait here."

Isamu was gently pushed out of the room and the curtains were shut. There were chairs in front of the room but he was too worried to sit down. He could still hear that awful coughing but it slowly eased after the doctors were in there for a few more minutes.

"Well?" Teo jogged up to stand beside his younger brother. Just then, one of the doctors pushed the curtains aside.

"She's alright for now. We need her to stay overnight for observation and possibly a few more if it's what we think it is."

Isamu was almost too afraid to ask. "What do you think it is?"

The doctor hesitated. "There is a disease that runs in your mother's family. Although there is only five percent that it actually appears, and it seems like your mother has inherited it."

"Disease?" Teo glared. "What are you talking about? We've never heard of this."

The doctor backed away. Isamu glared at his brother in return.

"Don't scare him."

"Shut up."

Isamu narrowed his eyes. Teo growled.

"Give her the best room you've got, understand? And make sure you treat her properly."

The doctor nodded quickly and rushed off with everyone else. Isamu nodded subconsciously. His mother deserved the best room they had. That reminded him. He should update his grandfather on this.

"Teo, I'm gonna visit gramps and tell him what happened."

"No!" Teo said. His younger brother looked at him inquisitively. "Knowing you, you'll just put it too bluntly and end up giving the old man a heart attack. I'll tell him. You go and look at mom."

"Oh…right…my bad. I'll check on Mom then."

...

**Amato Residence**

Isamu and one of his cousins were in charge of cooking dinner.

When all eight people were seated, they began to eat in silence. These eight people included Isamu, Teo, three uncles, one aunt, and two cousins.

"How is Akane's condition?" his youngest uncle asked.

"We don't know yet," Teo replied and put his chopsticks down. "The doctor said that she might need to stay for a few days."

The uncles exchanged a look. The cousins were listening in although they didn't speak up. Isamu began to sweat, hoping that they wouldn't suddenly ask him to take over because of this situation. Sure his grandfather was technically still in charge, butmost of the things were actually taken care of by his mother who was in the hospital. The only two people who _should _take the temporary title were Isamu and Teo. With Isamu being the heir, he was probably the one that would come out on top.

"We're relying on you then, Teo," Isamu's aunt said. Teo said nothing but nodded.

Isamu blinked at his relatives. "I thought _I_ was supposed to be in charge since Mom's not here right now."

His aunt laughed. "What are you talking about? You're just a kid! Stop talking about that nonsense."

Isamu turned to his brother. "Teo?"

"I need to see the things that were delivered yesterday to Italy. I'll be leaving in a few hours, and I'll be gone for two days."

_Teo? Are you ignoring me?_ Isamu opened his mouth to speak, but closed it instead. He looked at everyone, unsure of himself. _I… guess I shouldn't be in charge anyways, since I'm still young._

The dinner conversation led to mafia-related issues directed at Teo. As Isamu listened, he realised that _he_ could have dealt with those things himself. He glanced suspiciously at his brother.

...

**Evening, Sawada Residence**

That night Gokudera went to Tsuna's house for a meeting Reborn scheduled that morning in school. He frowned as he stared at the house. What was Reborn planning?

"Yo!" He turned to see Yamamoto jogging towards him.

"Tch." Gokudera scowled at the happy baseball player.

"I see that you're both here," Reborn's voice came from above. Gokudera looked up and saw the hitman sitting on the balcony. "Come up to Tsuna's room."

"What happened, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked when they were seated around the table in Tsuna's room.

"I just wanted to introduce you to another famiglia who is in Namimori at the moment."

"There's another one?" Tsuna squeaked in surprise. "How many are actually here!" He scooted back so his back was against his bed.

"Are they a threat to Juudaime? I'll blow them up!" Gokudera was in the middle of standing up when Reborn told him the family's name.

"It's the Amato Famiglia."

"I'll—oh." Gokudera blinked a few times. He sat back down. _"Them."_ He knew that they wouldn't be staying any longer, so he didn't really care about that group. If he was right, most of them would be moving back to Italy in a few months or so.

"E-Eh? Gokudera-kun, do you know them?"

Gokudera lifted his head and looked at Tsuna. He nodded. "In a way I do, Juudaime."

"Haha! Well, this means that we can have more friends, right?" Yamamoto leaned back, grinning.

Reborn nodded. "They're a family who is allied with the Vongola. So yes, they are your friends."

Gokudera saw his boss sigh in relief to hear that they weren't an enemy. He knew better than anyone that his boss hated fighting others.

"But why are they in Namimori? Now there's the yakuza, the Vongola, the Shimon, _and _the Amato family—_all_ in Namimori! Oh Kami-sama, save me. Hibari-san's going to bite me to death because so many people who cause destruction to the peace are living here!"

Gokudera leapt to his feet with determination written all over his face. "I won't let that prefect harm a single hair on Juudaime's head!"

His boss was currently _pulling_ at his hair, panicking. "What should I do!"

"Nothing," Reborn said simply. Gokudera gave him a puzzled look.

"Then why are you telling us, Reborn-san?" Gokudera questioned.

"Because I have a job for _you_."

Gokudera slowly pointed to himself while glancing at both Yamamoto and Tsuna who were looking incredulously at him and Reborn.

"Reborn-san, did you say…me?"

"Yes you. Who else would I be talking to? Dame-Tsuna?"

"Hey!" Tsuna frowned at the name before continuing. "What are you making Gokudera-kun do now?"

"I want him to help the heir of the Amato Family."

"Amato Isamu?" Gokudera asked. Tsuna's eyes popped out. _That guy's in my class! _Gokudera continued. "Tch! Why would I help him? He's part of another family. I'm not helping anyone who is not Juudaime!" He thumped a fist to his chest. "And that's because I'm Juudaime's right hand man!"

"G-Gokudera-kun…"

Reborn stared at Gokudera until he resumed his seat. "Gokudera, they are in a family crisis right now. Their leader, the eighth boss, is in the hospital. Isamu's mother, who was in charge until today, is also in the hospital due to a suspicious illness. Mamoru, Isamu's brother, is off in the States speaking with the Romaso Family. Teodoro and his other family members will not support him as the next boss. They might be planning to overthrow Isamu before he becomes boss. This is bad, since Nono relies on the Amato as one of the peace keeping families whose aims are similar to the Vongola. So it's important that we don't lose them."

Tsuna gulped. "That sounds awfully like the Ring Battles we had with the Varia…"

"It does, doesn't it?" Yamamoto laughed.

Reborn ignored their comments. "Are you up to the challenge, Gokudera?" Reborn demanded. "You have to help Isamu create plans and meetings that he will be in charge of. Then he has to convince allies and other family members that he's the rightful heir. Can you do it?" Gokudera sat straighter at the mention of a challenge.

"Wait! Reborn, you can't just tell him to do this!" Tsuna complained. Reborn threw a hammer in Tsuna's direction and continued talking.

"You'll be doing this in the name of the Vongola, representing yourself as Tsuna's right-hand man. So it's your job to help other allied families when they need our help."

Gokudera abruptly stood up with a very sparkly background glittering behind him. "I'll do it, Reborn-san. Juudaime!"

"W-What?"

Gokudera knelt in front of his boss. "Juudaime, I'll do my best with this mission, so don't worry about me! I won't let you down!"

Tsuna's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few seconds before he decided to close it with a grunt. He sighed and said, "Gokudera-kun, don't work too hard…and don't hurt him, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't!" Gokudera beamed when Tsuna have him his blessing. _That's all I need!_

...

**Morning, Amato Residence**

While he walked to school the next day, Isamu's mind was on other things. His grandpa told him to be careful. Gokudera told him to be careful of his _brother._ His mother told him that he will be great. What was _he_ supposed to think about this? It looked like he didn't have a say in this matter at all!

_What if I asked Teo if he could be the boss instead?_ He shook his head. _Gramps would probably hit me over the head for giving up like that—ite!_

He stumbled backwards and clutched his stomach. Groaning, he leaned against the school's entrance and looked up to see Hibari Kyoya in all his glory.

"Kyo—I mean, Hibari …" He still wasn't very used to calling everyone he met by their last names, and the first time he called Hibari 'Kyoya', they got the matter cleared up _right away_.

"Herbivore… What is that on your ear?"

"Huh?" Isamu's hand went to his ear and found that he was wearing his silver stud. _Uh-oh._

"Uh… I don't know how it got there!" As he spoke, Hibari's eyes narrowed. Isamu quickly tried to take it off his ear.

"It's forbidden to have excess jewellery in Nami-chuu. I will bite you to death for breaking the rules." A pair of tonfa was raised.

"Wait—hold on a second!" Isamu protested. "You're wearing a bracelet! If that's not excess jewellery, what is it?"

"It's a weapon," Hibari stated plainly and advanced.

"Shoot!" Isamu exclaimed and started running towards the building with Hibari in hot pursuit. He ran around it to the other side. _How is a bracelet a weapon?_ It didn't seem to do anything special, so he couldn't bring himself to believe Hibari.

"I'm sorry Hibari, it won't happen again!" Isamu shouted over his shoulder. He was running ahead of Hibari steadily and could force Hibari to stop, but he was afraid of having to hurt the Disciplinary Committee leader. Hibari's eyes narrowed as if he sensed this. He leaped in the air and landed in front of Isamu who gulped and did his best to not collide with Hibari.

_Whoa. How'd he do that?_

"Herbivores shouldn't be able to run like that."

"Sorry about—wait, _what?"_

Hibari was staring at Isamu, thinking quickly. Herbivores were usually sloppy and couldn't run in a good form. This one was different. There was also that way of how he unconsciously followed through with the tonfa he hit to his stomach, which meant he had some sort of combat experience. There was also something else that was bothering the prefect.

"Amato. That's your name," Hibari stated.

Isamu blinked and shuffled his feet ever so backwards. "Yes, that's my name…"

Hibari continued to examine him with a blank face. Was it possible? His sources finally found that there was another mafia family who lived in Namimori, called the Amato Family. And now that he thought about it, Isamu's family name was Amato. He must have misheard the name when Kusakabe reported the transfer student. He didn't manage to hear the full name since there was some ruckus outside caused by herbivores, but _Amato_ was an Italian name. Hm…

"Fight me," he commanded.

Isamu's jaw dropped and his eyes popped out. _"Excuse me?"_

"Oi, Hibari!" a loud voice shouted from far away. The two looked at the spot at the tree a few steps away. It was Gokudera, leaning on the tree. He has an annoyed look on his face as he watched them.

Hibari stared.

"You're not supposed to bother him."

Hibari raised his eyebrows. "Since when did you care about herbivores and not your omnivore?" Gokudera's eye twitched at the mention of his Juudaime being an omnivore.

_Herbivore? Omnivore?_ Question marks appeared all around Isamu's head.

"Reborn-san told me to look after him! And if I don't do it properly it's a shame to Juudaime! So you'll be answering to _me_ if you injure him," Gokudera said, still looking annoyed.

Hibari stared blankly at the Storm Guardian. Suddenly, his right arm shot out and he swung a tonfa at Isamu's head.

"Ite!" Isamu exclaimed as he was hit unexpectedly. He rubbed his jaw as Hibari walked away. Was he feeling a crack in his jaw? No he must be imagining it. Isamu watched Gokudera approach.

"Thanks for that, Hayato, although I could have handled it myself."

Gokudera rolled his eyes. _Yeah right. He was going up against Hibari._

Isamu pocketed his stud and asked Gokudera, "Hey, when you said Juudaime, what family are you talking about? There aren't many that last for ten generations."

"That's none of your business!" Gokudera said and stuffed his hands into his pockets. But inwardly, Gokudera was puffed out and as proud as anyone could get. "Heard you have some family problems."

Isamu stumbled and righted himself. He frowned at Gokudera. "What do you know about that?"

"Tch. You're going to lose the title of Boss if you let your brother walk all over you. That's what I know. I was sent to help you."

Isamu scowled. "_Who_ sent you? I don't need any help. Besides, my grandpa told me that I'm the heir, so I'm the heir. Stop bothering me!" He sped up and stomped away.

Gokudera glowered at him. "Why that little ungrateful bastard! I'll show him!"

He ran to the school's main entrance and saw that Tsuna and Yamamoto were waiting for him.

Tsuna cocked his head when Gokudera arrived. "Gokudera-kun, where were you this morning?"

"Sorry, Juudaime! Reborn-san sent me on the mission, so I tried to start it today. That stupid Amato wouldn't listen to me though." Gokudera grumbled on. He stood on tip toes in an attempt to locate the ungrateful brat.

"SAWADA!" They all turned and saw Ryohei charging at them.

"YOU IDIOT LAWN HEAD!"

Gokudera blew off his steam on Ryohei instead.

...

After school that day, Gokudera accompanied Tsuna home. "Stop following us, you baseball freak!" Gokudera glared at Yamamoto.

Yamamoto grinned. "Maa, maa, Gokudera! You've been at that for three years! Aren't you tired of it?"

"WHAT?"

"Hahahah!"

Tsuna sweatdropped at the daily exchange. "C-Come on, guys…we're all friends here, aren't we?"

"Sawada's _extremely _right," Ryohei shouted. "Octopus Head! You need to be more social!"

"_HAH? _DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?"

Ryohei shouted back, with his fists brought up as Gokudera glared at him. "OF COURSE I DO, OCTOPUS-HEAD, WHY ELSE WOULD I SAY IT?"

"You're an idiot that way!" Gokudera yelled back.

_Hiiieee….._ Tsuna panicked and tried to calm them down. "Really now—Gokudera-kun, onii-san! Please stop! Ugh!" Tsuna facepalmed when the two of them started to fight. Soon, there was a large tangle of arms and legs in a big cloud of dust whilst he and Yamamoto stood by watching.

"Ne, should we try to stop them?" Yamamoto asked cheerfully.

"We have to! Otherwise my neighbours will complain again!"

They continued on to Tsuna's house with Tsuna and Yamamoto between them, so nothing more than loud bickering occurred. Reborn met them in Tsuna's room with a smirk on his face.

Gokudera instantly went to Reborn to report on the "Isamu Mission", as Gokudera calls it.

"But the problem is," Gokudera said with a frown, "that I don't know much of how to fix this problem."

Reborn smirked as if he was waiting for Gokudera to admit it. "Then use this!" He got a stack of books from nowhere and slammed them on the table. It was so heavy the poor table groaned under the weight.

"Hiie!"

"Wow!" Yamamoto and Ryohei stared at the stack. It was so high, it reached Gokudera's waist. "Kid, where'd you get all these books?" Yamamoto took the first one off the pile and looked at the cover. Then he flipped through the pages and sweated.

"What's that?" Tsuna asked curiously and looked over Yamamoto's shoulder to read the text. Gokudera took another book and flipped through it as well. Ryohei took a third.

Tsuna's eyes drooped at the words.

"It's very…" Yamamoto hesitated for the words.

"Literate," Tsuna supplied.

"Advanced," Yamamoto said.

"EXTREME!"

"Reborn-san…this is just what I need!"

"_WHAT?_" Tsuna and Yamamoto stared at Gokudera in amazement.

"You understand this, Gokudera-kun? It looks like nonsense to me!"

Gokudera had his glasses on and was devouring the book in his hands page after page. Reborn smirked and replied to Tsuna's question.

"These books will help Gokudera understand the theories and tactical advancements of rebellion and conquering. He'll be an expert in this field in no time."

"Juudaime, I will live by these books and help the Amato heir! If I don't succeed, I don't deserve to be your Storm Guardian and right hand man!" Gokudera declared and carried the stack of books with him out the door.

"How is he going to _see_ past those books?" Tsuna asked worriedly as they watched Gokudera run back to his apartment.

"Worry about yourself, Tsuna. I heard that you failed your math test."

"Hiie!"

...

The next few days went rather peacefully. Isamu was rather surprised that Gokudera didn't approach him after their encounter outside the school. After school, he went straight to the hospital to visit his mother. Seeing that she was resting, he decided to not disturb her. He went up a floor instead, to visit his grandpa.

"Isamu, you're here again. I thought you were too busy to visit me more than twice a week. Are you still coming on Friday?"

"Slow down, slow down…" Isamu sighed. He poured out a cup of water for himself and his grandpa. "Yes, I'm here again. And yes, I _am_ busy throughout the week, but since kaa-san's in the hospital, I have more time at my hands. She works me to death with all that paperwork and boss-training stuff. Yes, I'm coming on Friday."

He heard the newspaper crinkle as his grandfather set it down. _"What?"_

"'What' what?" Isamu handed Renzo his cup, but the old man didn't take it.

"_What,_ as in, WHY IS YOUR MOTHER IN THE HOSPITAL?"

Isamu spoke unsurely. "The disease in her family caught up with her, and now she's in the hospital. Didn't Teo tell you that?" Isamu frowned and put both cups onto the table.

"He didn't tell me anything. That boy hasn't visited me since last month," Renzo said in dismay.

Isamu sputtered. "Then…what…why…"

Renzo narrowed his eyes. "Who's doing the paperwork? Who's making the decisions at home? Is it you or Teo?"

"Teo's in charge."

_WHACK!_

Isamu felt the rolled up newspaper hit his head smartly.

"You're not supposed to let your big brother call the shots!"

"Call the shots?" Isamu rubbed his head. "What's wrong with him being at the desk? You're technically still making the final decision."

Renzo sighed. "We'll talk about this later. Now tell me what's wrong with Akane."

"I can't believe he hasn't told you about her," Isamu grumbled.

"Get on with it, boy."

After telling him about his mother, Isamu was trying to leave but Renzo kept him there.

"I want you to be in charge of the family for now."

Isamu replied instantly. "It's ridiculous."

"And why is it so ridiculous?"

"_Because_ I'm just a third year in middle school!"

"Don't tell me you don't understand everything your mother taught you."

Isamu bristled at the insult. "I understood everything!"

"You understood everything. _Well_ then_…_do you understand the contents enough to work by them in a business?" His grandfather demanded with a gleam in his eyes. Isamu was too busy replying to notice.

"Who do you think I am? Of course! It was easy. Even a four year old could understand the concepts."

"Then you are already half way to becoming a boss. The other half is having the family believe you could lead them, as well as improving your fighting skills. The family is only as strong as the boss makes it. You have to put in some effort."

Isamu realised that he set himself into a trap. "You. Are. Joking."

Renzo was looking smug. "Nuh uh uh. You might be in middle school, but did you know, that every lesson your mother gave you covered every important aspect of being a boss?"

Isamu stared at his grandfather, horrified. "I THOUGHT SHE ONLY TAUGHT ME THE BASICS!"

...

Isamu trudged home, angry at his grandfather. "Damn damn damn damn damn!"

He slammed the door and stormed through the room to reach the stairs. One of his cousins was hanging out with his friends, drunk.

"Haha! Heey, kiiid! Come join us!"

Isamu glanced at the sky. It wasn't even dark and his cousin was already either drunk or on drugs. "Oh shut up!" he said and went up the stairs with laughter echoing behind him. He shook his head angrily and flopped onto his bed. "Yeesh. I don't see him acting this way when kaa-san or oji-chan is home."

He closed his eyes but had them snap open again. "Damn." He sat up and rubbed his temples. _I forgot that I was supposed to look after the paperwork even if there's only a bit of it. _He walked down the hall to enter the study.

"Oh, but Teo probably finished it all," Isamu said as he struggled to take off his uniform's blue vest. "Even if he's gone for four days and counting instead of the two days that he promised." When he did open the doors, he was staring at the contents in the room. Then he fell to his knees, anticipating the exhaustion he would feel by the end of the day.

There was a stack—a single _stack,_ but a stack nonetheless—of paperwork, tossed onto the desk by agents who came in and out of the house. There were also letters and information given by spies. Isamu took in several deep breaths to ready himself for war. He closed the study's doors behind him. He went to the desk with his sleeves rolled up. As quickly as he could, he organised the stack into different piles.

"I guess I should start with the business' accounts…" After tackling some problems for about an hour, he laid his head on the table with a groan.

"Stupid Teo. He just had to run off…why didn't he call to tell us that he'd be gone for more than two days? Stupid Teo." Isamu sighed and slammed his hand on the pile of letters and took one blindly. He broke the seal, not even stopping to wonder at why there was a seal on a letter, and brought the paper out. He tilted his head on the table and put the letter sideways so he could read it.

After reading it, he felt nothing. Then his brain caught up to the words and he sat upright.

He re-read the letter and gulped:

_Renzo,_

_I have come to Japan to visit my friends here. It has been so long _

_since we have spoken to each other. How about if we meet at the _

_usual restaurant? I've made reservations for 5:00. A driver will be _

_at your house to pick you up._

_Your friend,_

_Timoteo_

"Oh this is _not_ good!" He looked at the date and time written on the letter and blanched. "That's today! And it's already four thirty! Where the hell is Teo!" He picked up a phone and dialled, but no one picked up. "Aaaahh!" Isamu paced and held his head as if it was the end of the world. _Doesn't Nono know that oji-chan's in the hospital! This is the worst time! Does this mean I have to go? It's ridiculous!_

But he knew that he had no choice. He ran out the room and slid down the banister. His cousin was gone but he couldn't care less. Indeed, there was a car outside. He flung himself in.

"Excuse me! You're here from Vongola Nono, right?" Isamu asked with a panicked look in his eyes. The driver was wearing sunglasses.

"Who wants to know?"

Isamu raised the letter. "R-Representative for the Amato Boss!" The man stared at the letter for another minute before turning to face the front.

"Very well. I'll take you to the boss."

Isamu leaned back and sighed in relief. He tried to make himself look as presentable as possible while he waited nervously in the car. He was shaking slightly, to his surprise.

_Calm down, Isamu…Calm down…_

When they arrived, he stepped out of the car and found another man waiting.

"Hello. I'm Vongola Nono's Lightning Guardian. Please follow me."

"Right…" Isamu stuttered and followed the man.

"It's amusing how the next generation's candidates are all so young," the Guardian mused.

"What?" Isamu asked, distracted. They walked into the waiting elevator. The man smiled and shook his head.

_That was…weird._

When the doors were open, he was looking at a large room with a table in the middle. Timoteo stood when the elevator opened and had surprise written all over his face when a much younger person met his eyes. The surprise vanished and a welcoming smile came to replace it.

"Welcome! You must be young Isamu-kun."

Isamu stepped nervously into the room as the elevator doors closed. "Um…hello…I'm Amato Isamu…it's nice to meet you." He bowed slightly and sat when Timoteo sat.

"To be honest, I was expecting Renzo," Timoteo said.

Isamu laughed nervously and rubbed his head. "Ahaha…yeah, you see, my grandfather's in the hospital at the moment, and my mom's there too, and my brother, Teo, is in Italy, and…I just found the letter about half an hour ago," he said sheepishly.

Timoteo had a worried look on his face at the news. "My, a lot has happened since I last called."

Isamu nodded solemnly. He told the Ninth about everything that has happened in the family so far, hoping that he could help in some way.

The Ninth had a gentle smile by the time Isamu was finished with his troubles. "I can't really say what you should do, since it is not my family. But I will tell you this," Timoteo said. "Help has already been offered to you. It depends on whether you will take it or not."

"But the one who offered it to me is my age." Isamu pointed to himself. "And to be honest, I don't think he knows much."

"You'll be surprised," Timoteo said. _I trust Reborn when he says Hayato-kun will be able to do it._

They talked for a bit more before Isamu rose to leave.

"Isamu-kun?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to tell you that the Vongola will support you in your choices," Vongola Nono said.

Isamu stared in shock. "Um…okay…but…shouldn't you be saying that to my brother?"

Timoteo raised an eyebrow. "Amato has made it clear that _you_ are his heir. And I believe that Amato's decision is the right one."

...

Isamu was in a daze for the rest of the drive home. _Wow…I just met the ninth boss of the Vongola! _Isamu sighed. _Maybe…maybe I should try…but how do I start? Teo's practically taking over, and no one but me is objecting. _Isamu noticed something outside. _Eh? Is that…_ Isamu pressed his face to the window and looked out into the darkness. The figure of the person standing outside his house came clearer as they approached. Isamu's eyes widened. "No way," he muttered. "Oh, thanks," he said to the driver and got out of the car.

"Hayato, what the hell are you doing standing outside of my door?"

"Why else do you think I'm here? That stupid head of yours has to understand that you have to take back what is yours!"

"I already know that! Could everyone just stop telling me?" Isamu snapped, but there was no bite in his words.

Gokudera was very tempted to punch the guy. "They may be telling you, but you're not doing anything!"

Isamu sighed and made up his mind. "You might as well come in. I don't think you'll stop bothering me until you're satisfied…"

And so, Gokudera followed Isamu into his room. "Right, so what's this..._help_ that you're planning on offering?"

"I'm going to help you take control of the family, like I said before," Gokudera said and sat down across from Isamu.

Isamu rolled his eyes. "Okay. Now what? My brother's not here so there's not much you can do."

Gokudera's eyebrows knit together. "Where'd he go?"

"Italy. He said he had to look in on some supplies. But he's been gone for four days and counting."

Gokudera narrowed his eyes. "Maybe…hmm...that might be it."

"What might be it?"

"Perhaps your brother is trying to establish his own allies who will support him. Each Boss has the allies the previous Boss had but it is the next boss' choice to break the alliance or continue cooperating with the current allies. They could also make new ones. Teodoro is probably trying to convince the allies that _he_ should be the boss."

"That doesn't sound good at all. _Shit._ He's had four days to do it!"

"You just need to get your own then! What allies do you think he's got? It's best to have the ones you already have currently to continue being your allies, but it's also best to be friends with the heirs as well. After all, they _will_ be the next generation of the family. That has to be taken into consideration!" Gokudera continued on into Theory-Mode and made charts and graphs of explanations as well as money trees and systems. All the while, Isamu stared and listened intently. He was probably the only fifteen year old kid who could keep up with Gokudera.

"Did you understand all that?" Gokudera asked when he finished. "You better not act like Lawn Head and say you didn't get a thing out of it…"

"Lawn Head?" Isamu repeated. "Oh forget it. I don't think I want to know. But yes, I got everything."

"You better. Now for your allies—do you know where to start? Anyone you're familiar with; other family members? It's good to have their support."

Isamu shook his head. "Everyone here is on Teo's side."

"What about the rest of the family?"

"My grandfather mentioned that they will never support Teo, so I guess the rest of the family other than the ones downstairs will help me."

They talked on for another half hour before Gokudera stood to leave. Isamu followed him down.

"What's this?" One of Isamu's uncles said when he saw Gokudera. "Gokudera Hayato…a friend of yours?"

"In a way," Isamu said uncomfortably. He noticed that his aunt narrowed her eyes slightly at the two teens.

"He might as well stay for dinner." She was pointing to the food on the table.

"Nah," Gokudera said. "I was just leaving."

"I insist," she said coldly. The other chorused an agreement. Gokudera shook his head.

"I have to go back to my own family, if you don't mind."

"And which family is that?" The older cousin snickered. "Your own family wouldn't want you!"

"I'm in the Vongola Family!" Gokudera glared at the cousin, and at anyone else who might dare question his family.

"Y-You're _what?"_ Isamu choked back his shock.

"I'll be leaving now," Gokudera said and closed the door.

Isamu's uncles and aunts shared glances at each other.

"Brat, did you know he was in the Vongola?" His aunt asked. Isamu shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," another uncle snorted and said, "he's probably in the lower ranks, not even someone of importance."

"You should have told us if there was a Vongola in our house," his aunt said and glared at Isamu.

"What wrong with that?" Isamu snapped. "The Vongola is one of our allies. It's not like he's going to attack me or anything."

"I don't _care_ if he attacks you. It's not as if you're important."

Isamu glowered. "Then what are you so hyped up about him in our house?" Again, there was that look. "What, you have some _secrets _the Vongola can't know about? Not even someone of _no importance?"_

His other aunt said darkly, "_Some people_ need to learn to keep their mouths shut and learn their place…especially in the mafia. Some _others _need to mind their own business… Otherwise, those _people_ won't live very long."

His other aunt cackled. "Yes, yes! That's true! Have you heard of that time in the Todd Family? A few years ago, someone tried to make everything his business when it was up to the boss to make the decisions and the boss ended up killing him!"

"I have every right to talk," Isamu said icily. _That's it. They're really getting on my nerves._

"Of course you do," the older uncle said. "We were talking about the Todd family, not you. Besides, if you _do_ have something to say, you can say it to us first so we can see whether it's important enough to tell the boss."

"I _mean,_ I _will_ be the boss. So there! I know my place. I have every right to talk."

"Don't be a fool," his younger aunt said. "What on earth are you talking about? Hurry up and eat and go back to your room. There's nothing here for you to do."

Isamu glared into his bowl and did as he was told. _They're not even trying to hide the fact that they want Teo to be the boss. But why are they so…demanding of it? There's got to be something behind this._ He munched down his food deep in thought.

Later, he went on his computer, someone messaged him.

_**Luca: **Hey, you holding out over there?_

Isamu grinned. That was his seventeen year old best friend, who lived in Italy. He was the second son of another family they are allied with.

_**Isamu: **I'm doing fine. Teo's gone weird though._

_**Luca: **Speaking of which, your bro came to my dad and said he wanted to talk about some alliance stuff. What's up with your grandpa? I thought he was supposed to do that stuff._

_**Isamu: **He's still in the hospital. _

Isamu hesitated and continued typing. He told Luca about the situation.

_**Luca: **That's stupid! The seat's yours, man. Don't worry about a thing! I'll convince my dad. He didn't look too happy about things during meal time anyways. Your bro went in with this envelope as if there was some kind of deal._

_**Isamu: **…a deal?_

_**Luca: **Yeaaaah. A deal, ya know? Anyways, I promise that I'll help you! The Gaetano Family's with you! Don't think I'm forgetting the offer of being your right-hand, dude. _

_**Isamu: **You sure you wanna do that?_

_**Luca: **Pfftsha. Yeh. Gotta go. Ttyl._

Isamu stared at the conversation in surprise. He wasn't expecting it to be like this. _Okay, I guess this is good…if I'm taking Hayato's advice I have to get more allies. Or at least, convince them._

...

Around five thirty in the morning, Gokudera was busy going over things. He reread the schedule he printed out and nodded. "That's good enough. Amato better appreciate what I'm doing," he said as he closed the door to his apartment.

Gokudera saw the taxi he booked and climbed in. He told the driver the address and took out his cell phone. He called a number waited for the other person to pick up.

"_Whazaawaah…?"_ Isamu grumbled.

"Oi, get out of bed and meet me in front of your house."

"_Hn?"_

"Pack a bag of whatever you need for travelling! Don't pack anything unnecessary!" He hung up.

When he arrived at Isamu's house, he saw that the person he was looking for was just coming out with a bag slung over a shoulder.

"Stop," he told the driver. Gokudera opened the door. "Oi, Amato! Get in here!" He pulled the other teen in forcefully.

"Gwuaah!" Isamu fell into the taxi and the door closed.

"Drive to the airport!"

"What the hell!" Isamu complained. "Where are you taking me? I thought you were supposed to help me, not kidnap me!"

"Tch! You're going to Italy."

Isamu stared at Gokudera. _"ITALIA? WHY AM I GOING THERE?"_

"Because you're going to be speaking to allies, baka! Here's the list. You're on the flight that leaves at seven. You'll be taking the plane at terminal one. Here's your ticket. There will be someone waiting for you at the other end. Call the number on the paper and he'll meet you wherever you are, plus a ride to go to the meetings. Don't lose the paper, alright? Your driver will take you to your hotel. Follow the schedule and your driver will take you to the other families as well."

"No! What are you doing! Stop the car! You're just deciding all this by yourself! WHY AM I DOING THIS? I'm not prepared to meet them anyways! What is all this! And why can't I stay in the villa? Why a hotel? Who the hell is the driver? I don't want to go!"

"You're going anyways," Gokudera shouted back. Isamu slumped in his seat.

"Just to let you know, I didn't pack anything that would be suitable for a meeting with any kind of boss."

"That's taken care of. You'll find a wardrobe full of it."

"_Why_ are you doing this again? What's the point of doing it so suddenly? You only heard of the situation yesterday."

"Tch! I spent the rest of the day planning this! All this to make you the next boss! I don't want to do this either, you know!" Gokudera went on to explain things as they rode on. However, Isamu was too tired to pay attention so he dozed off while unconsciously nodding now and then…

".. ey…hey...OI! AMATO!"

"Huh? Wha?" Isamu looked around bleary eyed. "What happened? Where am I?" Then he remembered about Gokudera kidnapping him and sighed.

"We're near the airport. Do you have a right-hand man? You should have one if you're going to be the boss."

"Hunnnh, I guess?" Isamu yawned and stretched as much as he could in the tight confinement of the car.

"We're here, kids," the driver said.

"I'm not a kid," both of them said and gave the driver a glare.

Gokudera pushed Isamu out. "Tch. You seem useless. Well, call that friend and tell him what's happening. He should probably be there for the meetings. I hope he's smarter than you."

"Wait," Isamu said when Gokudera started to get in the car. "You're not coming?"

"Of course not! This is your problem from here on out. I told you everything you need to know. Anything else, like how to act and tips on other things are in this folder." Gokudera tossed an envelope at Isamu. "If things go smoothly you should be back by next week. Then my mission will be half finished. When you come back, I'll be with you for the meetings with a few bosses in Japan." Gokudera gave a feeble wave and shut the door.

Isamu stood on the pavement with his bag on the floor beside him, ticket and papers in hand. He stared after the taxi for a few minutes before swearing.

"That bastard. Leaving me here all stranded after saying he was going to help me. WHAT KIND OF HELP IS THIS?"

People stopped and stared at him. Isamu grumbled to himself and shoved everything into his bag and fished out his phone.

"_Luca speaking."_

"Hey, good friend."

"_I was surprised you called. Isn't it like 6am in Japan?"_

"Don't even mention that," Isamu said and glared at nothing in particular as he walked through the automatic doors.

"_Ouch. Someone sounds like he's having a bad day. What's up? Oh, and my dad says you booked a meeting with him to talk about something. What's with that?"_

"Yeah, it's about the boss and Teo thing. I got some help from the dude called Gokudera Hayato. Apparently he's part of the Vongola Family."

Isamu walked across the busy airport, dodging people and bags. Announcements echoed of welcome and goodbye greetings in several different languages.

"_Huh. Well, that's good, you got some help. Hey…What's all that noise? Are you in an _airport?"

"Yes. He booked like three dozen appointments or something…that crazy bastard."

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa…you're going to meet with all the bosses? That's nuts!"_ Luca laughed. Isamu felt his vein twitch. _"Tell you what. I'll join you! I'll meet you at the airport."_

"Thanks."

...

"How is it going, Gokudera?" Reborn asked. They were in Tsuna's backyard. Yamamoto and Tsuna were playing with the kids and Gokudera was pulled out from arguing with Ryohei by Reborn.

"It's going well, Reborn-san! I shipped him off to Italy this morning!"

"What?" Tsuna, who was nearby, stopped tickling Lambo to stare at Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun, you _shipped _someone off to _Italy?"_

"Hai, Juudaime! Amato Isamu should be on his flight to Italy right now."Gokudera glanced at the clock and nodded.

His boss sweatdropped.

"WHAT IS EXTREMELY GOING ON?"

Gokudera growled and winced. Turning to his right, he saw that Ryohei was still sitting right beside him.

"WHAT IS _EXTREMELY GOING ON, _IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND, LAWN HEAD—"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"I give up," Gokudera face-palmed. "I don't have the energy to shout at you."

Ryohei blinked his surprise. "What?"

"Are you alright, Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"Couldn't have been better, Juudaime," Gokudera replied, all traces of annoyance gone from his face. "Juudaime, I have a big favour to ask of you." Gokudera watched his boss with serious eyes. Tsuna gave him an odd look.

"What's this favour—hiie!" Gokudera bowed down on his knees in front of the sitting Tsuna. "Gokudera-kun, what are you doing?"

"Juudaime…Do you think it's possible for you to meet Amato Isamu, as the tenth boss of the Vongola?"

There was a moment of silence_. "EH?"_

"Please!" Gokudera said and knocked his head to the plywood floor. Hands reached out to pull him up. "Gokudera-kun, I'll do that—just…don't go down on your hands and knees to beg me! Just ask!"

Gokudera looked into his boss' face with awe. "Hai, Juudaime! I suppose you would want to know the reason?" He continued on before Tsuna decided whether he wanted to or not. "He's in Italy trying to convince other allies to support him as the boss instead of his brother. But, I've just found out that there are a few famiglias who are here in Namimori as well."

Tsuna shivered at the thought of meeting Mafia bosses.

"Octopus Head, why didn't you have him ask the ones here first? That would have been more EXTREME!"

"It's because the ones here would most likely agree with the brat so we're in no rush!" Gokudera replied angrily. "Now stop interrupting me!"

"W-Well, I guess it's okay…" Tsuna said uncomfortably. _Although who would want to be the boss of a family in the first place? It's too crazy and scary and just, CRAZY!_

Reborn read Tsuna's face and grinned when he figured out what he was thinking. "Dame-Tsuna, not everyone is like you. Isamu needs to be the boss of his family or else his brother—the other option—would ruin everything the Amato and the Vongola tried to achieve."

"Stop reading my thoughts!"

"I'm not," Reborn said innocently. "You're just an open book."

"Thank you, Juudaime! Now I have to make that bucking horse and Shimon agree as well." Gokudera stood and began to run. "I'll definitely succeed!"

"Wait Gokudera-kun, where are you going?" Gokudera was already too far to hear him. "Man, he's taking this so seriously…aah! Lambo don't put that on me!"

...

Gokudera ran into the hotel that Dino was staying in at the moment and went up to the suite without bothering to look at anyone. When he got to the correct floor, Dino's men were everywhere, looking out for danger. Romario spotted him.

"Oh, this is a surprise! Gokudera, what are you doing…"

"Where's Dino? I need to see him!"

Romario raised both eyebrows. "He's right there," he said and pointed to a couch in front of a television. His boss turned his blond head and flashed Gokudera a smile.

"Hey!"

Gokudera went over to Dino and stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. He glared. Dino turned off the television and smiled up at Gokudera.

"So what's up?"

"Amato Isamu's going to meet with you next week as the heir to his family!"

Dino looked surprised and choked on his drink. _"What?_ Why would he be doing that?"

Gokudera growled. "I'll explain when he comes! You better agree or else I'll stuff dynamite down your throat!" He pulled a few of the sticks just to be sure that Dino understood him.

Dino raised both hands in submission. "Okay, okay, you didn't have to threaten me!" He laughed nervously. The men who were in the room hollered with laughter.

"Boss! You're letting a kid threaten you!" One snorted as Gokudera left the suite. He heard Dino's reply faintly as the elevator doors shut.

"Stop laughing at me, guys! He really would have done it!"

It was trickier with the Shimon Family. It would have been easy with Enma, but Adelheid was a different matter. She questioned Gokudera on every matter of the meeting.

"Just agree to it, will you?"

"I have to make sure he won't try to harm Enma when he's here!"

"THEY'RE CLASSMATES FOR PETE'S SAKE!"

...

The week wore on with nothing special occurring, although teachers found that Gokudera was grouchier than usual. He became so unsettled when it came to the day Isamu was to return that he ditched school.

_It's not like it will make a difference,_ Gokudera thought as he waited in the airport. _All the classes are easy._

After another fifteen minutes of glaring at anyone who came close to him, he spotted a dishevelled looking Amato Isamu walking out the hall. He was wearing a dress shirt and pants with a pair of converse for shoes. Isamu looked around and spotted him. He gave Gokudera an angry shout and stomped towards him.

"You made me go all the way to _China!_ DO I _LOOK_ LIKE I KNOW ANY FRICKIN' CHINESE TO YOU?"

Gokudera bristled. "It's not my fault one of the bosses was there! Besides, use it as a learning experience!"

Isamu scowled. Gokudera raised an eyebrow. "Hey… it looks like you have a temper now."

"Of course I would," Isamu said as they started walking. "Anyone would have one after having meeting after meeting after meeting! Do you know how much I want to kill you right now?"

Gokudera snorted. _If he's that angry then everything went fine._

"Well you better tone it down slightly. We're going to meet the Cavallone boss." He hailed a taxi and they got in.

"Cavallone? I _thought_ it was weird that I didn't see his name on the list. He's Dino, isn't he?"

...

When the taxi stopped, they were outside the hotel. Isamu yawned.

"Come on, snap out of it." Gokudera punched Isamu's arm _hard._ "You still have two more after this.

Isamu yelped. _"Two? _Can't a guy have some rest?"

"You can rest all you want after this!" Gokudera growled.

"Did you know that you and Luca are very similar?" Isamu questioned Gokudera as the elevator rose. "Both of you are slave drivers. I hope I don't meet anymore of you guys."

Gokudera chose not to comment. He would meet Reborn soon enough.

_Ding!_

Gokudera stepped out and looked around. He saw one of Dino's men whom he recognised. "We're here to see your boss."

The man stared at the two teens. He shrugged and made a gesture for them to follow. Gokudera shoved Isamu in front of him and the two hissed insults at each other until the man knocked on a door.

"Boss! There's someone here who has to see you."

"_Bring them in!"_

The door opened and the man stepped back. Isamu eyed the room and walked in. Dino was sitting at his desk with a smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Isamu-kun."

"Ah… yeah, same here." They shook hands and the two teens sat.

"Nice to see you again, Gokudera."

"Tch."

Isamu swivelled his head to first stare at Dino, then at Gokudera.

"You two…know each other very well?"

Gokudera snorted as Dino grinned. "He's a good friend of my little brother."

_He has a brother?_

"Right. So, the meeting," Isamu said.

...

They were out of the hotel after half an hour.

"Well that went well."

"Of course it did! That Cavallone would be dead in an alleyway if he didn't agree," Gokudera muttered. Isamu shot him a glance that clearly asked whether he was joking or not. He decided that Gokudera was joking.

"Who's next?"

"Shimon."

"Sh-_Shimon?"_ Isamu gaped. "Aren't they ah…well…okay, come on, _seriously?"_

They stopped at a red light and Gokudera turned to Isamu with a glare. "What about them?"

"They…they're…well…" Isamu made hand gestures, trying to get his meaning across.

"They…?" Gokudera led the across the street and made a left turn.

"Oh, I don't know! I heard that they caused a lot of trouble during the Inheritance Ceremony. It got cancelled, and the next ceremony hasn't been announced yet."

"Tch. People only hear _half_ the story. Why is that?" Gokudera asked himself.

"Huh?"

Gokudera sighed and explained. "It was all a misunderstanding. The Shimon are a weird bunch, but who isn't? They're actually friends with the Vongola, so there."

By now they had reached Enma's home. It was a rundown house and Isamu had a hard time believing that a mafia family lived there.

"Oi! We're here!" Gokudera shouted as he knocked on the door.

Isamu said to him in a whisper, "Should you be shouting like that?"

The door opened to reveal a dishevelled Julie.

"What are you doing here?"

Adelheid elbowed him out of the way. "I _told_ you, they have a meeting with Enma. Now get out of the way."

"Awe, don't be mean!" Julie placed an arm over both of Adelheid's shoulders and leaned in, but she kicked him to the other side of the room.

"What's going on?" Isamu exclaimed. "You're that person who's opposing Hibari!"

Adelheid looked down at Isamu and sniffed. "Well come on."

"Why didn't you tell me she was in the mafia?"

"You didn't need to know. Che!"

_This is getting weirder and weirder,_ Isamu thought. _Hang on. She said Enma. That name sounds familiar. Enma, Enma, Enma…Enma…hm._

They reached another room which was the kitchen. "Enma, our guests have arrived." Adelheid went to Enma's side which meant Isamu had a clear view of who Enma was.

"Hey! You're in my class!" Isamu pointed a shaky finger at Enma, who was eating a late lunch. He looked up.

"Whoa, I-I didn't know you were in the mafia, Amato-kun…"

Isamu was still standing at the doorway when Gokudera took a seat across from Adelheid. Both glared at each other.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Adelheid demanded. Isamu snapped out of his shock and took a seat.

_This is…definitely crazy._

Throughout the "meeting", it seemed to Isamu that he didn't need to say anything at all. Adelheid did most of the talking, since she was worried that Enma's quiet nature would not allow him to refuse or ask anything. In response to this, Gokudera was still on high alert concerning this mission of his, so he replied Adelheid's question with just as much enthusiasm.

This meant the meeting turned into a vocal fighting match. It went way out of hand when other family members randomly popped in and disturbed them.

"You want a chocolate bar?" Enma asked Isamu with a sigh.

"What? Oh. Eh, sure, I guess…? Thanks." He took one and bit into it. The two bosses watched as their assistants argued.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU WHAT THE MEETING'S ABOUT,"Gokudera shouted at Adelheid.

"THERE'S STILL NO REASON TO MAKE AN ALLIANCE WITH AMATO."

"YOU _NEED_ THE ALLIANCE, DON'T YOU? YOUR ONLY ALLY IS THE VONGOLA!"

"WE CAN DO FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"Adelheid crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

"YOU CAN AT LEAST HELP OUT THIS BRAT." Gokudera pointed at Isamu. Both looked at him. Isamu was half way biting into his bar of chocolate.

"Dude, you're the same age as me."

Gokudera continued. "His brother's totally ignoring _him, _and Isamu's the rightful heir! That Teodoro's probably going to ruin the family!"

"He can't ruin it much," Adelheid replied, a bit calmer.

Isamu cleared his throat.

"Of course he can!" Gokudera didn't hear Isamu at all. Isamu tried again with the same result. He took in a deep breath and shouted.

"IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO LISTEN, I FOUND SOME THINGS IN TEO'S ROOM?"

They shut up.

"_Thank_ you." Isamu sighed. "While I was in Italy, I snuck into our mansion, which is where he was staying. I found that he was planning to trade with a family that we've been opposing for generations, and he made plans to create new drugs in a factory. In order to have the other family accept cooperating, they wanted to take over our territory in…" Isamu paused and then counted the districts on his fingers. Gokudera, Adelheid, and Enma's eyes widened at every count.

Adelheid was astonished. "What idiot would do that? If that's an enemy family, then they would most likely double cross the Amato in the end."

"Adelheid," Enma said, "I want to help him."

"We don't need to stick our nose in their business, Enma."

Enma nodded his head in Gokudera's direction. "If the Vongola's part of it then so are we."

Adelheid sighed. "Alright. It's not like we have to do anything in particular."

Once they were finished there, Gokudera led Isamu to his own boss' house.

"I already met Vongola Nono before you kidnapped me," Isamu said.

Gokudera glowed with pride. "You haven't met Vongola Juudaime yet!"

_What kind of nutcase is this one going to be?_ Isamu followed Gokudera through the gate and didn't notice the plate outside. Gokudera rang the doorbell.

"Hai, coming!~" A cheerful voice sang out. A minute later, the door opened. Gokudera bowed deeply.

"Good afternoon, Okaa-sama!"

Isamu cocked a brow.

"Aah~ Gokudera-kun! Are you here to see Tsu-kun?"

"Hai!"

Isamu stared at Nana. _That's…Tsuna's mom…what…the…hell…? And Gokudera's acting weird._

Gokudera shouted at him. "Come on!"

"R-Right." Isamu was afraid to see who the Decimo was. They went upstairs and Gokudera opened the door to a room which had a name plate in the shape of a tuna. Isamu noted the name and groaned inwardly.

"Juudaime! We've come for the meeting!" Gokudera said cheerfully.

Isamu stared in horror at Gokudera. _He's—He's—He's…erm…very…cheerful person…scary._

"Gokudera-kun!" Isamu focused his attention on Tsuna. He was currently struggling on the floor with his hands pulled to his back by an unknown force. When Isamu looked closer, he noticed that it was a baby who held him down.

"O-Oh…hi, Amato-kun…" Tsuna said and tried for a laugh.

"…Hi."

"Reborn, could you let me up!" Tsuna craned his neck backwards to look at his tutor. Isamu and Gokudera sat down.

"Are you alright, Juudaime?" Gokudera asked worriedly when Reborn released him.

Tsuna winced. "I'm fine."

Reborn stared at Isamu.

"Hello, Reborn," Isamu said politely. He was taught that it was always good to be nice to assassins if they aren't sent to kill you. Reborn grinned.

"Ciaossu! Now that you're here, we can start the meeting with Tsuna."

Isamu nodded. Tsuna rubbed his shoulders. "Um…Gokudera-kun already told me all about what was happening. I'd gladly help you!" Tsuna gave Isamu a comforting smile.

"Thanks." Isamu was still looking over Tsuna. _Dame-Tsuna. Vongola Decimo. Vongola heir. The guy who beat Xanxus. Sawada Tsunayoshi. Those words can't possible make sense in the same sentence right?_

A flying kick came out of nowhere and hit Tsuna's head. "Don't make empty promises, remember that."

"Hiie! Alright, alright! But that _wasn't_ an empty promise!" Tsuna bounced back and argued with Reborn. Isamu sweatdropped and turned to Gokudera.

"How are you related to him?" Isamu thrust a thumb in Tsuna's direction.

"I'm his right-hand man!"

Isamu nodded slowly. So much for him being no one of great importance.

...

Teo was riding back to Japan feeling slightly cross. Only a quarter of the bosses he spoke with agreed to back him up. All the others refused, saying they were going to wait to see if anything else comes up. "What could they be waiting for?" Teo grumbled and hit the wheel. "I should meet with the Cavallone tomorrow." His mood became even crankier when he was unable to book an appointment with Vongola Nono.

...

**Days Later**

Gokudera and his boss were half way to Sawada Residence when Teo stopped them. Gokudera's eyes narrowed at the sight of Teo. He felt a hand on his arm. It was his boss', warning him not to overreact.

The man asked, "You're the candidate for Vongola Decimo, correct?"

Tsuna stared at Teo. "Who…wants to know…?" _Never show fear to enemies, _Reborn had told him. _Don't let them know your feelings._

Teo approached them with a smile, although it looked more like a smirk. Gokudera was ready to speak for his boss but he saw that he stood his ground. Tsuna thought that this person was trying to scare him, or intimidate him, but he didn't know why.

"I'm Amato Teodoro."

_Amato,_ Tsuna thought, surprised. "You're Isamu-kun's nii-san?"

"Why, yes, I am," Teo smirk-smiled again.

Gokudera frowned. "What do you want with us?" he asked, although he had a feeling he knew what it was.

Teo smiled at him. "I would just like to have a conversation with your boss. I only need a few minutes."

"Alright," his boss said cautiously. Gokudera clenched his fists and smirked inwardly. _Juudaime won't be scared of you._

Teo began to speak. "My family is in a tight situation at the moment. My grandfather and my mother are both incapable of leading the family at the moment, and I am the most experienced person left. I would like your support. My family has already given it to me, as well as most of our allies. I'm sure there would be a bright future if Vongola Decimo and I, Amato Nono, work together." There it was again, that intimidating aura.

Gokudera and Tsuna didn't even bat an eyelash. _He's trying to scare me into agreeing with him,_ they realised at the same time. _He'd have to try harder if that's what he wants,_ Gokudera scoffed. _And I bet Juudaime noticed that slight threat to our family. He's not going to let that pass easily._

Teo frowned inwardly. _What's with the lack of a reaction? They don't look scared at all. This isn't going as planned. Whatever—they will agree in the end._

"The Vongola has been allies with the Amato for generations, of course," Teo went on casually. Tsuna nodded. "So there is no reason to hesitate in the alliance for this generation."

Gokudera looked around to make sure that none of Teo's followers were planning an ambush when their plans went south. When he saw nothing, he directed his attentio back to the conversation.

"Hai," his boss had said.

_Here it is,_ Teo thought victoriously, not noticing that Vongola Decimo wasn't giving in to fear.

"The Vongola will continue to be allies with the Amato family, but only if it is under Amato Isamu's leadership." Gokudera smirked at his boss' words.

_Another ally gained—what? What did the brat just say? _Teo controlled his expression with some difficulty.

Tsuna and Gokudera watched him intently. _What will he do now? _ Gokudera thought.

"Surely you don't mean my brother? He knows nothing of the family or how to run it. If it goes to him…"

Tsuna was shaking his head. "That's my final answer, Amato-san. Good day to you."

Gokudera and Tsuna walked on. Gokudera noticed that his boss was going to speak again. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched him. "And Amato-san, I don't take it kindly that you threatened my family," Tsuna said without stopping.

Teo froze on the spot at those words. This was the boy who defeated Xanxus...Tsuna and Gokudera rounded the corner. Teo slammed his fist into a pole out of frustration.

"Damn! First the Cavallone, now the Vongola—even that tiny Shimon family!" Teo swore viciously.

He was sure that middle schoolers would be nervous around him, even if they are a candidate for Boss. "After all, he's just fifteen. They're supposed to be wimpy," Teo reasoned with himself. "So why the hell was he all cool about everything!"

Tsuna collapsed when they entered his living room.

"Juudaime, you were so cool!"

"I can't believe that was my first refusal to an offer of an alliance!" Tsuna broke down with sweat pouring down his face. "I thought he was going to declare some kind of fight when I refused!"

Reborn was sipping tea on the table. "Dame-Tsuna, that was lousy."

"Lousy?" Tsuna cocked his head.

Gokudera argued. "Reborn-san, it wasn't that bad."

"You had no grace in refusing. You have to work harder! The mafia is more like politics than you might think."

Tsuna groaned.

...

Isamu had his school bag slung over a shoulder as he walked home leisurely. He slowed when he spotted his brother leaning against the gate of their house, waiting for him.

"Teo?"

Teo glared at his brother as he approached. "You've got some nerve coming back here."

"What'dya mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. What were you doing in Italy?"

Isamu shrugged carefully. "I needed a break."

"Rome?"

"Rome was part of my break."

"China?"

"Hey—a break means travel. I was having fun." _Yeah right. I almost got squash in China._

"You were meeting with families."

Isamu took in a deep breath. "I'm not going to just sit here and let you give away half our family's territory to the enemy."

Teo's eyes narrowed. "So you know about that." He reached into his jacket.

Isamu tensed. _You're…joking, right?_ He backed away slowly and looked around. The street was empty. He turned back to meet Teo's eyes as he continued to move back. He had a gun in his hand now…and it was raised to aim at his brother…

...

_BAM!_

Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto froze and looked around. Gokudera was alert and trying to protect Tsuna from all sides. Tsuna was looking everywhere with a chilled, horrified look. His eyes were wide and shadowed.

"Where'd that come from?" Yamamoto muttered.

"Isamu-kun," Tsuna replied fearfully, "Gut feeling."

They ran.

...

Isamu's heart felt like it would burst out from his rib cage as he stared at the bullet lodged in the wall. He was hiding at the corner of the next street. _Damn damn damn damn damn damn! He's trying to kill me!_

"Don't blame me, Isamu," he heard Teo say. Footsteps approached. "If only you just agreed to let me lead the family, you could have been sent to somewhere safe, where you wouldn't interfere."

Isamu didn't stay to hear the rest of it. He quietly escaped down another street and then to an alley. _What do I do?_ He jumped when his phone buzzed.

"Hey!"

"_Oi, where are you? What was that shot?"_

"Wha—how'd you hear that?"

"_Tch! Most of the population in Namimori heard it.—" _Isamu heard another voice which was Tsuna's: _"Gokudera-kun! Tell him to get away! Hibari-san's on the move!"_

"I heard," Isamu said and made his way through another alley and came out at another street. He ran to the shopping district. He skidded to a stop and thought, _I can't go there. I have to stay where there aren't a lot of people._

"_We have to go after Hibari,"_ Yamamoto was saying.

"_What?_ You want to go after that demon?" Isamu exclaimed so loudly that Yamamoto heard.

"_Haha, yeah, it's no problem! He's one of us!"_

"_Don't shout in my ear, idiot! You too, baseball freak!"_

Isamu had a hard time believing him. "I'm going back."

"_Tch! Do you know what you're saying?"_

"He's my _brother_!" He hung up and used another route to get behind Teo.

...

Teo stopped walking when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw a teenager wearing a black jacket and a red arm band. He tilted his head and saw that it read the Disciplinary Committee.

"I'll bite you to death for using a gun for no reason." Hibari raised his pair of tonfa. "To be using them in broad daylight…you're dumber than the herbivores. If you're going to murder someone at least do it at night." That way_,_ Hibari thought, he would have more thrill in biting him to death.

Teo stared at Hibari in disbelief. He waved the gun in a dismissive gesture. "Run along, kid. This is none of your business."

Hibari narrowed his eyes. Anything that happened in Namimori was his business. And as it happens, it was his business in the mafia sense as well since he was the Vongola's Cloud Guardian—not that he cared.

He ran at Teo, who wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't just kill a citizen. That moment of hesitation was all Hibari needed to smash Teo's head with his right tonfa and jab the other in his gut.

"Hibari-san!"

"Hibari!" Isamu came from one direction and Tsuna's group from another.

Teo groaned. He narrowed his eyes and made an effort to face Isamu.

"Yikes!" Isamu ducked and the bullet pinged off a pole.

"Don't turn your back to the enemy," Hibari said with a glare. _The herbivore's underestimating me—_that was all Hibari needed to know before he began to beat the older man senseless.

Isamu slid to the ground in shock at almost being killed _twice_ within the same hour.

"What was that?" Isamu's remaining family came out of the house, armed. They were staring in shock at Hibari fighting Teo, who was trying to put up some resistance.

"Teo, _what _are you doing? He's a kid." The younger aunt pointed to Hibari.

"This _kid_ almost smashed my head in!"

"Put your weapons down," Isamu told his relatives. "You too, Teo."

"Or what?"

"What's going on?" The adults were still confused.

"There's no way Teo will succeed in his plans," Isamu told his family members. He was staring at them in a way that made them think he was seven feet tall. They looked at him with startled expressions.

The Cavallone and Shimon were also approaching to stand behind Isamu. The adults looked at each other hesitantly.

"I'll make the Amato a hundred times better than anything Teo might've promised. I swear to that. Did you know that Teo was going to give away half our territory? That isn't helping our family, even if it will benefit us economically, it won't be good for the long term. _I_ can do better than him."

The adults were surprised at this information.

"Teo, what were you thinking?" his oldest uncle demanded. "You told us—"

"I have a plan!" Teo was saying. "If you would just let me—"

"I'm not going to allow that," Isamu frowned at his brother. "You can't. You'll ruin our family."

Gokudera raised his eyebrows, surprised by Isamu's determination. Reborn appeared in front of them.

"Ciaossu!"

Almost everyone jumped at the voice.

"Reborn!" Tsuna yelped. "When did you get here?"

"I was here all along. Blame your lack of senses." Reborn looked at the ones who were previously supporting Teo. "You _do_ know that going against the temporary boss is practically the same as something called treason right?" Reborn smirked when they paled. They dropped their weapons and backed away from Teo.

...

_**Two days later…**_

Isamu went to his mother's room in the hospital.

"Isamu, how nice to see you after a week of a no show!"

"Ah. Uh, yeah." Isamu scratched his head. "Stuff happened… and yeah…um…so…you alright?" He waved at the hospital bed and all.

"Yes, I'm fine. No, before you ask, it wasn't the disease." Isamu nodded with a confused look on his face.

"Go visit your grandpa. I'll be finished packing by the time you've spoken to him."

"Okay."

He sat inside his grandfather's room and they stared at each other for a long moment.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What happened?"

Isamu told him about everything that has happened since his last visit. The boss of the family nodded.

"Good job."

"What are you going to do to Teo?"

"Hmm… Now _that_ is a good question," he sighed. "But we can deal with it later. You, on the other hand, should head back to Italy. I have a lot of things that need to be handled there."

"I was thinking of going back to Italy myself," Isamu admitted. "There are too many crazy people in Namimori."

...

Gokudera and Tsuna helped Isamu get to the airport with no kidnapping involved.

"Eh…" Isamu hesitated. Gokudera looked at him blankly. "Thanks for everything."

"Tch." Gokudera turned away, not sure as to what to say. Tsuna stifled a laugh.

Isamu grinned and waved at them as he left.

Reborn jumped onto his student's head. "This is great," Reborn smirked as he watched the plane carrying Isamu take flight.

"What's great? Isamu having to take back his role?"

"No, Dame-Tsuna. The great thing is, is that my plan worked."

"_What_ plan?" Tsuna looked at his tutor suspiciously. He saw Reborn's grin on their reflection on the glass.

"The plan to have Gokudera experience situations like this. Now, if it ever happens to the Vongola, he'd know how to recognise it quickly and solve it without a problem within two weeks."

"_REBORN, _you mischievous manipulating itty bitty runt!"

…

**Three years later...**

"Welcome to Namimori," an attendant said and flashed a smile to a well-dressed eighteen year old male. He smiled and nodded his thanks.

Isamu's first class flight arrived at Namimori's airport just as dawn approached. He stretched his arms and twisted his hips.

"Augh…It feels good to move around again." He slung his bag over his shoulder and lined up to get his baggage checked. Luca decided to come with him this time, since he's never been to Namimori before. His grandfather was looking after things in Italy.

After fifteen minutes, they emerged and Isamu looked around to find any familiar faces.

"Isamu!"

His head snapped to the right. He grinned and waved. "Hey!" He turned to Luca and grabbed his arm. "They're over there!"

Luca snorted. "Yeah, of course they are! You were shouting at them."

Isamu smiled sheepishly and led his friend to the Vongola Family which was waiting for them.

"Have a good flight?" Tsuna asked with a grin of his own to match Isamu's.

"Terrible."

Yamamoto laughed and slung an arm over Gokudera's shoulders. "Look! Your old pal is here!"

"Tch! Get your hand off me, baseball freak!"

"The car's waiting outside," Tsuna said and led the way out, with Reborn beside him.

Gokudera followed, grumbling about idiots and stupid visitors. Isamu was right behind them. Gokudera sighed and asked, "How are things? You have better not wasted my time helping you!"

Isamu chuckled. "No, you didn't waste your time. Things are fine now."

Gokudera accepted that and ignored Isamu for the rest of the ride.

"Isamu, we're having a party at Tsuna's place," Reborn said. "We already have most of it set up and you're joining us."

"Reborn! You can't just tell people that they're going to attend a party. And why didn't you tell me you were throwing a party? It's my house!"

Reborn smacked Tsuna's cheek with a flying kick which is student smartly dodged.

"Sure, I'll attend," Isamu said and stifled a laugh at the sight.

"Great. Because we're already here."

"Eh?" Isamu looked out the window and his jaw dropped. "How'd we get here so quick!?"

Reborn smirked. "I can't reveal _all _my secrets."

"Well, out we go then," Tsuna said cheerfully. When the door opened, Isamu was blasted with something that sounded awefully like,

_"EXTREEEEEEEEME!_ You're back already, Sawada! We're ready!"

Isamu blinked and covered his ears.

"What the hell was that?"

Gokudera snorted. "You've forgotten about the annoying Lawn Head already?"

"Lawn…Head…?" Isamu carefully exited the car and looked. "Ah. So that Lawn Head you were talking about is Sasagawa Ryohei. I see…"

"On with the _extreme_ party!"

"Haha! You sure are happy!"

"OF COURSE! Now come with me, Sawada!"

"What!?"

Isamu followed them in with a laugh. He spotted Nana. "Thank you for inviting me, Sawada-san."

Nana giggled. "Just enjoy yourself, Isamu-kun! The more the merrier!"

And so, the party began. Isamu was half dead when the party was only half done.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," he told Gokudera, who was currently trying to control Lambo and Ryohei.

"What? Oh—yeah, yeah, just go, don't bother me!"

Isamu left with his drink and walked through the town. _It hasn't changed much,_ he thought. He found himself walking towards his home. He shrugged and continued down the route that his feet had chosen for him.

He saw someone walking down the other way. He stopped. It was someone he hasn't seen in…three years.

The other person had also stopped when he saw Isamu.

Then both of them continued to walk until they met, right in front of Amato residence.

"…Hi."

"…Hey."

They stared at each other for anther moment. Isamu observed his oldest brother, Teodoro. He was half a head taller than Isamu. His looks had improved and he didn't look at all out of shape.

"How…are you?" Isamu asked cautiously.

Their grandfather had to kick Teodoro out of the family. But before that, they also removed every penny he had in any country and made his life hell—before putting him on the streets. All ties to the family _and_ mafia were cut.

Teo winced slightly with a crooked grin. "As good as good could get."

Isamu stared at him blankly. Teo sighed. "I'm great. Here." He reached into a back pocket and produced a wallet. He shuffled through it and brought something out.

It was a business card that Isamu took. He read it.

"You own a hotel now? Oh hey—that…I saw one on the way to the airport in Italy!" He gaped at the name and stared at the owner.

"You…own…okay…mind blowing," Isamu muttered. "I see that you're doing great in life."

The hotel Isamu was talking about was the five star hotels which appeared recently all over the world. There was at least one in all the major cities.

"_Adelina._ Why'd you name it Adelina?"

Teo grinned and if Isamu wasn't seeing things, his brother's face was a _bit_ red.

"Girlfriend's name is Alina. I named it after her."

Isamu cocked his head. "Awwwwe, ain't _that_ sweet. So when's the wedding?"

Teo's brow twitched and he whacked Isamu over the head lightly.

Isamu chuckled. "Watch the drink! It'll spill!"

Teo blinked as if just noticing the cup in Isamu's hand.

"What's with the cup?"

"Party at Vongola's," Isamu explained and rubbed the back of his head dramatically. He looked into the cup. After a thought, he gave it to his brother.

"It's fruit punch."

Teo took it with a snort. He raised it in a toast and downed it. "My favourite."

He gave the cup back to Isamu. "You don't…" Teo gestured with a hand. "Blame me?"

"Eto," Isamu said and let the word trail on for a good ten seconds. "I might have. But after the pathetic look you had on your face when everyone gave you a knuckle sandwich, I felt you got your punishment. It's not like you _did_ anything in the first place."

Teo's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Well, good luck with your family," he said.

Isamu raised his head in a nod and farewell. He turned back around to rejoin the party as Teo stayed where he was.

"Teo!" He turned and saw Alina.

"Hey, you done?"

"Yep. Who was that?"

Teo turned to see Isamu turn the corner as he thought of his old life.

"Hey, hey," Alina tugged his hand to get his attention again.

Teo turned to his girlfriend and grinned. "An old friend. Come on, let's go."

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>To RawR: <strong>(Concerning the previous chapter) You are absolutely right! I wasn't actually thinking about that when I wrote it! My mind must have been wandering elsewhere! xD

_**-LLM**_

_**Edited 2013-08-24th**_

* * *

><p>I have posted excerpts of this story on my blog. You can find the link to it on my profile. Or, if it shows up, right here: longlivemarshmallows . blogspot. ca<p>

**-_LLM _**

**_2015-03-07th_**


	5. Bonus ONESHOT

**Beginnings of a Family**

_A bonus _

_ONESHOT_

(To read the next _Power of Vongola Decimo_ ONESHOT, just go to the next chapter. But I hope that you'll appreciate this!)

* * *

><p>"Guys, stop it!" nineteen-year-old Giotto shouted at his friends. He pulled a chair out of the way and turned to Lampo. The green haired teen backed out the door when he heard the commotion and saw the mess. Giotto noticed and smiled. "Come on, Lampo. They won't bite."<p>

G and Cozart stopped and looked towards the door. "Who is he?" they asked in unison.

Giotto stepped to the side and brought Lampo forward. Giotto looked down and kicked away someone's bag which was in the way. "This is Lampo. He'll be living with us from now on."

"Giotto…" G began hesitantly.

"…We're running out of space," Cozart finished. "Look, I know we should let him stay, but to let him _live_ with us? That is asking too much. Just sleep over for the night and find him a place to stay elsewhere. It's too cramped in here."

"He can join our family!"

G, who had begun to light a cigarette, looked up sharply. Anyone who joined their family _stayed_ in the family and helped the vigilant group.

"That little brat? But look at him." G pointed at Lampo's clothing. Lampo shrank back to hide behind Giotto, who was just a head taller than him.

"What about him?" Giotto asked.

"He's rich. If those aren't merchant's clothing, I don't know what is!"

Giotto sighed. He explained Lampo's situation and convinced his friends to let them stay.

"Where are the others?" Giotto asked Cozart, meaning the rest of their friends.

"They're just moving everything to our own lodgings," he said. Giotto nodded.

G snorted. "And that Daemon is off living in his own mansion."

Giotto beamed. "That's right! I almost forgot about him. He said that he was interested in what I was doing."

Then Giotto looked at Lampo and said unexpectedly, "Well, Lampo's staying!"

"We can't just pick up strays, Giotto!"

Lampo spoke up for once. "Stop calling me a stray, you pink head!"

They froze.

"_What?"_ G ran to Lampo, thinking of giving the brat a beating. Giotto pulled Lampo away just in time.

"Now, Lampo…don't go insulting his hair—it's red, not pink," he said in a rushed, whispering voice. "He'll kill you if you say the work pink."

Lampo blinked.

"Give him to me, Giotto!"

"You're not thinking straight," Giotto called back as he pulled Lampo to another part of a house, _away_ from G.

"_COME BACK HERE!"_

…

A week later, Lampo became a permanent residence of their vigilant group's little house. He also became braver and openly insulted G. At times, the two of them were able to relax in each other's company without insults thrown across the room. These times were when Giotto sent them on tasks that required all their strength. They usually came back as dead as zombies.

One pleasant afternoon however, was ruined by a messenger.

"Giotto! You've got to help us!"

Everyone became alert. They ran to meet the gasping boy. G held him up so he wouldn't collapse to the ground.

"What happened?" Giotto asked when he stopped. Lampo stood behind them.

"They are men causing a large ruckus in the market! They've got weapons—knives and guns! You're got to help us."

"G!"

The two got prepared.

"What about me?" Lampo asked in a whimpering tone. The two paused to look at him. They shared a glance and came to a mutual agreement.

"You stay here. Tell anyone who comes around that we're busy. If they're our family, then tell them to come help us. Stay safe, Lampo!" And they ran off.

"You good?" Giotto asked G.

"Yeah." He cocked his gun. "What about you? You just managed to climb that mountain a few days ago. Your technique, whatever it is, isn't perfected yet."

Giotto grimaced. "I can still fight."

"Not effectively." G tossed Giotto a hand gun, just in case.

Then they joined the fray of hands and limbs. They pulled out any civilians and attacked the men. That was easy to do since the men were all wearing black.

Whoever refused to stop beating a civilian got beaten by either Giotto or G.

Giotto saved a child from being stomped. "Stand there!" He pointed to a corner far off.

Giotto was in the middle of disarming a man when he saw a blur. It was another person, fighting off the men. He didn't have time to care. If he was an ally, they'd know soon enough.

When the men were all unconscious, Giotto and G, with the help of some shop owners, tied them up. Then came the problem of dealing with them.

"We can't hand them to the police, Giotto! They'll just let them out when someone pays them enough!" the apple seller shouted.

"I know, but we can't just kill them!"

"I will deal with them," a new voice said. The crowd murmured as they made room for a young man to step forward. Giotto looked him over. He was young alright. Probably the same age as him, or a year older. He had fair hair and a long coat to keep off the slight drizzle. G looked at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

The man stared at G. "My name is Alaude."

_Alaude,_ Giotto thought. _Where have I heard that name—_

"Oh! You're that…" Giotto trailed off. G also seemed to recognise the name. Giotto turned to the townsmen. "It's alright! He's a friend and he'll help us. Thank you for everything!"

The townsmen looked at Alaude with curious glances but left to clean and to get on with business. Then only the tied up men, Giotto, G, and the mysterious Alaude were by the lamp post.

"Hello, Alaude. Do you remember me? I'm Giotto." Giotto grinned at Alaude, a person he and G met from another town when he was on an errand a year ago.

Alaude looked over Giotto, not sure. The Giotto he met was ragged and didn't have any nice clothes. _This_ one was well dressed and well fed. But it was the orange eyes and spiky blond hair that pinned them down as the same person. Alaude grunted and nodded.

Alaude jutted his chin towards the men. "I'll be taking them."

Giotto nodded his thanks.

G was flabbergasted. "You're just going to let him go?"

"Why not?" Giotto asked.

G shook his head. "Forget it."

"He helped us because we're aiming for the same thing. He told me that himself a year ago. I'm sure we can become good friends."

"I think _not,"_ G said in a mutter.

"Did you say something?" Giotto was waving to Alaude, who didn't turn to wave back.

G shook his head. "You think you can be friends with _everyone."_

Giotto slung an arm over G's shoulders and walked back to their house. "We're in bad times, G. We need all the friends we can get."

G snorted and pushed Giotto away. "Get away from me, you idiot. People will think you're some kind of pervert."

Giotto's reply was delayed by the open door to the house. There was an extra pair of shoes on the carpet, plus a travelling cloak. Then they heard the sound of people talking.

"What the hell?" G whirled to Giotto. Giotto had a surprised smile on his face as the two of them began to walk to the living room.

"Asari, is that you?" Giotto called out before entering. Asari was sitting with Lampo. Tea and snacks were on the table. Asari looked up to see Giotto and G.

"_Giotto! G! It's great to see you two again!"_

He got up and bowed slightly. Giotto bowed back.

G just gaped. "Last I heard you were across an ocean on your tiny island," he exclaimed.

Asari paused for a moment. He blinked at G and then a light bulb flashed over his head. He replied in Italian.

"Well, yes, that was the last time you spoke to me! But then I decided that I would be more useful if I came here to help Giotto. Do not forget G, you too are on the tiny island of Sicily."

G scowled and looked away. "Sicily isn't _small."_

They visited Japan when they were seventeen. They made friends with a musician who played the flute and they stayed as pen pals throughout the year.

"But where's your flute?" Giotto looked around and saw no sign of the instrument. Instead, he saw on the table a box holding a long katana and three short blades. He came up with the answer in moments.

"Asari…"

"A little sacrifice is needed for the greater good," Asari said simply. Giotto smiled shakily.

"Let's not get too emotional, shall we?" Lampo said with a sigh. Asari laughed.

"Yes…and Giotto, it seems like you've picked up—"

"—Another stray, yes," Giotto said exasperatedly. Asari looked surprised and laughed.

"Giotto…" G said with his eyebrow twitching.

"Yes, G?"

"We do not have _room_ for another person!"

…

One thing led to another and soon they even had a space for Alaude. This happened when Giotto found out that Alaude had nowhere to stay and was being ripped off in the inn the town offered.

"It's just too expensive to live there every day," Giotto said. "Live with us."

"This is just great. Before you know it, you'll be asking Knuckle to stay with us and he has his own blasted church!" G shouted at Giotto, who simply smiled sheepishly.

"Be reasonable! Knuckle has his own place but Alaude needs one. Do you mind sharing rooms with Lampo so he could have your room?"

G's face was getting as red as his tattoo. _"What?_ You want me to move to make room for _that_ annoying man? I'm not moving!"

"T-Then…Lampo, do you mind sharing rooms with me?"

Lampo shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

"See how nice some people are?" Giotto sighed. "If only everyone followed your example, Lampo." He patted Lampo's shoulders, making him smirk at G.

But…there wasn't enough room. This was proven the next day before breakfast.

G awoke to peaceful silence. He got dressed and headed downstairs for a cup of coffee. Asari was already there, boiling water for his tea.

"Good morning, G."

"Good morning. What are you doing up so early?"

Asari poured the water into his cup. "I'm making tea. Do you want a cup?"

G shook his head. "I'm drinking coffee." He went to the cupboard to grab what he needed and stopped.

"What's this?" He brought out a package of… "Are these tea leaves?"

"Yes, I brought them from Japan. I thought that you'd like to have some, as a souvenir."

"But then where's my coffee?" G asked. He dug around and found it pushed to the back. "Asari, you cannot put your stuff wherever you want."

Asari claimed that there was nowhere else to put it.

G sighed and gave up. "Oh alright."

Then Alaude came in. He stood at the doorway and stared at the two. He left.

"What is wrong with him?" G muttered and glared after him.

"Apparently he doesn't like eating with others. He likes being alone," Asari said with a smile.

"Great," G said sarcastically. "Another weirdo."

"I'm hungry!" Lampo said with a yawn. "Where's the food?"

G glowered. "It's your turn to make it!"

Lampo scowled. "I made it yesterday!"

Asari laughed and stood between them. "_I'll _make it. It is only right since I am the newcomer."

"_Hnnn…! _That would be nice," Giotto said cheerfully as he stretched out his arms, walking into the room. "I'm tired of eating G's burnt up cooking."

"Hey!"

When breakfast was made, Giotto tried to ask Alaude to join them.

Asari, G, and Lampo were seated, waiting for Giotto to come down with Alaude when someone came in through the kitchen door. It was Knuckle, here to join them for breakfast per usual.

"Oh! It looks like someone else has joined us," he said and smiled at Asari. "Good morning. I am Knuckle, a priest of this peaceful town."

"Hello, Knuckle. I'm Asari, from Japan." Asari bowed. Knuckle smiled again and imitated the bow before sitting.

A rectangular table that was meant for only one person per side was now filled to the max. Asari and Knuckle sat beside each other, with G and Lampo taking their own side of the table, leaving only one side available. That meant that Giotto and Alaude would have to share one side. Which wouldn't have gone well, since when people sat side by side at this certain table, their elbows would be touching.

They heard some noise from upstairs.

"What was that?" Knuckle asked.

"It's another friend of mine. His name is Alaude," Giotto said as he came down. G frowned. His friend's voice sounded strange. "Good morning, Knuckle!"

G gasped. Giotto sported a black eye and a puffy cheek.

Giotto said dryly, "Let us say that Alaude does not like socialising." He stopped and looked around the kitchen. "It's quite crowded in here with so many people."

They had to agree. Without another word, they headed to the living room where there was an assortment of sofas and chairs to sit on while eating.

"Get your book off the table, brat," G said to Lampo.

"Well take your gun off that chair."

"Whose box is that?" G pointed at a long elegant box.

"Mine," Asari chipped in. "I forgot to put it away."

Knuckle held up a pair of gloves. "Giotto, aren't these the ones you use for climbing?"

"Oh! Thank you. I'd forgotten that I put them there." He took them and stuffed them in his pocket. "Although I'm finished with climbing for now—I'm on to the next stage."

G stretched his legs but Lampo complained and pushed G's leg off the table.

There were more problems later in the day when they realised that the house was indeed too small to fit five people with two frequent visitors.

"We need a new house," Giotto muttered. "A bigger one."

"It's not like we can afford it."

"Well," Giotto muttered. He began to think. He calculated their sums and what they might have later in the future. "I don't know…we actually might."

"Where _do_ you get the money from?" Lampo asked. Giotto grinned.

"We have our ways. People pay us for keeping the peace with jars of preserves, bread, fruit—the like, even though we try to dissuade them. We repay them by actually protecting them, unlike the corrupted police force. Then we all have our own odd jobs here and there."

G grumbled about some other things and glared at Giotto. Lampo blinked. _What's with the glare?_

G noticed Lampo's unsaid question. He sighed. If he's in the family, he might as well tell him.

"We also own a small business. Nothing big, but it gives us the money we need."

"I'm going to ask around this afternoon," Giotto decided. "I don't think I can stand living here if it's going to be this crowded."

"What do you expect from a house full of people?" G asked pointedly.

Giotto ignored him.

…

"I found us a place to live in!" Giotto barged in and grinned at Lampo, who was talking to Asari. "Where is G?"

"He went somewhere," Lampo said vaguely. "Someone was screaming for help and he ran off. It's okay now. He went to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Giotto sighed and shook his head at his friend's smoking habit. He ran off to Alaude's door and banged on it. "Alaude! We're going to be moving to a bigger house. I bet you'll be glad."

He heard footsteps approach. He stepped back and Alaude opened the door just enough to poke his head out. He stared suspiciously at Giotto.

"What _kind_ of house?"

Giotto shrugged with a grin. "You'll see! We can look at it tomorrow morning."

Alaude narrowed his eyes at the vague description, if it could be called one. He was definitely going to use his sources to find out exactly what _house_ it was.

G came back and Giotto told him the news. He was grinning ear to ear. "I bumped into Daemon and he said that he'll come live with us. I'm going to ask Knuckle to join us too." Off he ran. G approached to the front of the house, but he didn't follow Giotto out.

"Wait, Giotto! We can't have so many people in one house!"

"Oh, come _on!_"Giotto's eyes were bright with excitement. "We'll have too much empty space if we don't ask them to live with us!" Giotto was running backwards to look at his friend while laughing. "You'll love it!"

"Tch." G rolled his eyes and shut the door.

"He looked very happy," Asari said.

"That idiot was on something. He's got to be," G said.

"Giotto doesn't do those things," Lampo said in protest. G waved him off. "You two better start packing. We'll probably move into the house as soon as it's suitable to live in."

"You're sure?" Lampo stared at G with raised eyebrows. "How can you be sure?"

G scoffed. "It's _Giotto_. If he is that happy, we'll be moving as soon as possible. But from the way he was talking, we're just going to see it tomorrow."

…

And so, the next day came.

Giotto and his friends stood in front of the massive mansion that they were to live in from now on.

"That's…" G was at a loss for words. Lampo was for once paying attention.

"Giotto, you've outdone yourself this time," G exclaimed as he neared the gates. The grounds were covered with overgrown green grass and a few trees grew on the property line. More trees came from the forest which was towards the east. If they went around the back, they would see more grass and large areas of the ground covered with dirt.

The mansion itself was amazing. It was anything they could have dreamed of. It was massive for one thing. Another was that it had several floors and plenty of room for all of them to share without fighting over it. The front side of the house had a balcony on the second floor.

Giotto knew that beyond that balcony must be the second level of the ballroom that was described in the contract. A floor above the ballroom would be their sleeping quarters.

Here, there was a smaller balcony directly above the one for the ballroom. That would be Giotto's chambers—the study and where he would sleep. His friends would pick their own rooms.

"Is it _liveable_ inside?" Daemon looked at the place sceptically. "Look at the grass. It's uncut. And the windows…" Daemon shook his head and made a disapproving sound. Some of the windows were boarded up.

"We can fix it," Giotto reassured him. "It was cheaper if I didn't have them fix it up for us. I asked them to not decorate it too much, since we would want it to fit our own tastes, right?"

"Tha'ts right," G said with a growl. "I'll kill whoever painted my room pink!" He was referring to what happened a few days ago: Lampo had snuck into G's room and painted it and was doing his best to not look guilty or victorious.

"We'll start by fixing up the grass. Then we can buy some new windows. We can fix whatever else that needs fixing, and then move in!"

G observed the house—_mansion_ again. "You know…if we fix it up, it will look great."

"Yeah! Well how do you like it?" Giotto was grinning, ear to ear, waiting to hear his friends' reply. G was with him and so was Asari. Lampo looked like he dreaded the work to come, but he nodded with a sigh.

Daemon chuckled. "This will be interesting. I will accept it. And you, our dear intelligence officer?" He raised a brow at Alaude. Alaude glared at Daemon. For some reason, he had an instant dislike towards the man.

"I think it is fantastic!" Elena put in. She decided to tag along to see where she would be living with her fiancé after their wedding.

Alaude grunted. "Hn. I wouldn't have come if I disagreed."

"Then we'll get to work," Giotto said with a jump in the air. They were gathering a crowd. A little boy stepped up to Giotto and pulled on his pants.

"Giottooo, what awr you doing hewr?" he asked in a childish tone. Elena cooed in the background.

Still smiling, Giotto knelt so he could face the child on the same level. "See this _big_ house? My friends and I will be living in here once we fix it up a bit."

The child's eyes widened. "Wow, Giotto! Tha's a _biiiiiiiiiiig_ houwse!"

"I _know!"_ Giotto laughed and stretched out his arms. "It's so _biiiiiiiiiiig_ I have no idea what I'll do with it!"

The child frowned and considered this problem seriously. His other friends and their parents came up to see.

Elena cooed again and told Daemon something that had him blushing.

"Ah!" The boy began to jump up and down. "Giotto! Giotto! You can find more fwiends! Then you can have more pwepal to save the day with you!"

Giotto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "That I shall do. But not any time soon. Maybe later?"

The child grinned and nodded vigorously. He looked into the mansion's yard. "Giotto…" he said shyly, "may we help?"

"Of course you may! Off we go, with the Clean-Up Mission!" He stood up with a hand raised in the air and let out a mighty war cry. Then he laughed as the kids took him seriously and charged into the overgrown yard.

G facepalmed as the children shrieked and followed Giotto's lead into the mansion's grounds. "I don't know him, I don't know him, I don't know him, I don't know him…"

"G, come join us!"

G groaned.

Cozart came some time later. "Wow, so this is the place, huh? It looks decent."

"It does, doesn't it?" G said with a grin. "And with the Mafia looming over us, I guess it's good that we have this mansion."

"Changing the Mafia from inside out," Cozart mused. "Giotto really has the strangest plans."

"It's going to work," G said stubbornly. "It has to."

"I'm sure it will."

…

In a week, the entire mansion was sparkly clean. The seven of them stood at the entrance to the mansion and took in their surroundings.

"Beautiful," Giotto breathed out. The rest of them nodded.

"Nufufu. I'd have to say, this will be a great place."

"Tch. I will be having the room beside Giotto's," G said.

"I wanted that room," Lampo complained. He had gotten attached to his savoir.

"Now, let's talk things out…" Asari tried to say.

"I'm going to be Giotto's right hand man, so obviously I have to be near him to protect him! It's my duty!"

"We're all here to protect him," Lampo and Asari put in at the same time.

Daemon chuckled and elbowed Giotto. "Giotto, it looks as though you have yourself some guardian angels."

"What!" G and Lampo exclaimed.

Alaude snorted. "Guardians. What childish titles you come up with," he said to Daemon.

"Nufufu. Then we will just call ourselves Giotto's Guardians, shall we?"

"You guys have no reason to want to guard Giotto!" G said. "If there will be a Guardian, it will be me!"

"I want to be one too," Asari said with a laugh.

"Giotto helped me before, so Ore-sama should have that title too," Lampo said with a sigh. "Honestly, do you really think you can have all the glory?"

They, along with Asari and Knuckle, got into a heated argument.

"How about you _all_ be my Guardians?" Giotto said in dismay, opening his arms wide to include Alaude and Daemon as well. He was beginning to chuckle at his joke when he realised that they were taking him seriously.

"What, you'll actually call yourselves that?" he asked in shock. "It's so…weird."

They stared back at him.

"Why not?" Asari said with a grin. Alaude turned to walk up the large staircase.

"I'm not joining your foolishness." His voice echoed through the hall.

"Nufufu. Why don't I fight you, and if you lose, I'd deem you weak enough to protect?" Daemon offered with a joking smile.

Giotto grinned back. "Not a bad idea! I need to test something out. You can help me. Let's go! We fixed up the back so it could be a proper training yard!"

"Not so fast!" G cried and pulled at Giotto's collar so he couldn't go running off.

..

For the next little while, things were very peaceful in the mansion. They were all enjoying the spacious rooms and privacy they were given to one another.

"Come and look at this," Giotto called from the entrance. He had to shout louder, now that his family could be anywhere in this large mansion.

"What's that?" Lampo was leaning on the banister of the second floor.

"I was doing my morning rounds around town with G when the lady that sells these things just gave me a box of these vases, as well as some other decorative things. She said, 'With that big house of yours, you must have a lot of empty space! Here, take these to fill it up!'"

Lampo came down the stairs with a chuckle. "You have got to be joking!" He brought up a vase and examined it. "It isn't too expensive but it is nice."

Giotto agreed.

"We'd better not break them," Lampo said solemnly. "These were a gift. And it will be a hassle if Ore-sama has to be the one to clean it up."

"Yes, we will be careful."

Later, Daemon and Elena found themselves enjoying putting the decorations into different places around the mansion. Alaude was stiff and annoyed with everyone but with his own rooms, he didn't mind them _too _much.

G stalked up to Lampo who was lounging on a couch and snatched his gun from him. "So _you_ had it! Why did you take my gun?"

"Ore-sama was bored," Lampo sighed. "We have explored the entire mansion and there is nothing to do."

"Who is that saying they are bored?" someone groaned. It was Giotto. When he saw G, he scowled. "Why didn't you tell me there was so much to fill out when I became a Mafia boss?"

"Well, _ahem_, Vongola Primo, I believe I _did_ in fact, _tell_ you so before you made yourself a gentleman in front of all the other bosses."

"What does that have to do with anything? It is good to show respect."

G stared at his friend. Does he really not know the influence he has over others?

Now as a twenty year old man, Giotto had fully mastered his powers and charisma skills. With just some conversation, he was able to put the thought of forming an alliance with the Vongola into the other boss' heads…which meant Giotto now had a lot of paperwork to do as well as meetings and parties to attend.

"Oh whatever. I have to finish what's on my desk by tonight," Giotto said and groaned. "I want to go to that market festival they are having in town!"

"Don't worry," Lampo said in a bored voice. "We won't leave without you."

Daemon, also getting bored, decided to walk around the mansion. He bumped into Alaude on the way to the garden and neither of them would move out of the other's way.

"Nufufu…I would suggest for you to do something," Daemon said cheerfully. Then he glared. "Move."

Alaude stared back blankly. "You are in my way."

Daemon continued to glare. "No, I am afraid that you are mistaken. _You_ are in my way."

Alaude was glaring now. "Do not test my patience."

Daemon chuckled. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

The two of them sized each other up. They were seeing if the other was worthy enough to fight. That was the only reason why they hadn't fought since they met. Alaude thought that Daemon was just a minor annoyance, someone not worth a fight. But that changed when just a few weeks ago, Daemon began to spar with Giotto for practice. Alaude and the rest were watching. He became interested in Daemon when he almost—_almost _overpowered Giotto. Alaude was able to make Giotto surrender during their training matches. But it was a close thing with Daemon. Maybe he was actually someone who knew what he was doing…

Daemon happened to see them fight a few days after his own match with Giotto and became interested in Alaude when he saw what he was capable of.

"Hm~" Daemon had thought at the time. "I wonder... If he and I were to fight, who would win?" Then he snorted. "Obviously, that would be me. Nufufufu…"

They didn't see any reason for why they shouldn't test each other now.

…

Giotto cheered when he finished the paperwork two hours early. _Now I can go down there and help them set up for the festival instead of just attending!_ He jumped to his feet with a grin on his face. He was walking to the door while humming a tune when his precious mansion _shook._

"Whoa!" He raised his arms to balance himself. When the rumbling stopped abruptly, he was still standing where he was, sweat pouring down his face. _What was that?_ he thought.

"Giotto, do you know what just happened?" G was opening his door.

Giotto shook his head with a frown. "Could it have been an earthquake?"

Something crashed to the floor downstairs and the mansion shook again.

"It _must_ be an earthquake. Everybody get _out,"_ Giotto shouted and dashed down the stairs with G right behind him. When they reached the main floor, Giotto came to a halt. G bumped into him.

" It's not an earthquake…" Giotto said shakily.

"What?"

"It's not—"

"I know what you said! What do you mean though?"

He saw Giotto trembling. "It's that blasted ALAUDE AND DAEMON! LOOK AT THEM! They're fighting in the mansion—STOP! NO, WHAT ARE YOU _DOING, _ALAUDE?" Giotto ran to the fighting pair. G got a full view of what happened. His jaw dropped. He stood there for a good five seconds before anger came over him.

"We just painted that a few months ago! You painted that yourself, Daemon! What are you _doing,_ breaking it down!? Stop fighting, you two!"

Giotto was trying to tear the two apart. He got a black eye for his troubles but gave Daemon a good kick in the ribs.

G was somehow restraining Alaude. Giotto pulled Daemon to his feet. "Daemon! Look what you did! _Our mansion!"_

Daemon came to his senses and looked around. He scowled. "How did it end up like this?"

Alaude also seemed to realise that he had gone berserk in the mansion. He grunted.

"The two of you _ruined _it!" Giotto cried out. "All our hard work—gone in an instant!"

Daemon showed a bit of guilt. Then it was gone. "Nufufu. We can always repair it. I'll even help."

Giotto began to calm down from his rage. "_Huff._ Fine. We'll fix it up tomorrow," he sighed. G blew out a breath. He was pretty sure that if Daemon didn't say the right thing, Giotto was going to activate that Hyper Mode of his.

…

Little did Giotto know that it was pretty hard to fix a _wall._

Alaude came up with the best solution which would work with their busy schedule. He walked into Giotto's study and handed him a piece of paper. "What is this?" It was a receipt of some kind of a company which helped with renovations. There was a price at the bottom which Giotto shrugged off for now. "Alaude, what is this for?"

"Repairing the wall. I had workers come in to fix it."

Giotto raised his eyebrows. "So _that's_ why I saw people moving in and out of the mansion." He looked at the price and grinned.

"Sign," Alaude said simply and tapped at the line on the bottom of the paper. Giotto signed _Vongola Primo, Giotto._

"This is smart, Alaude! Now…I hope that fighting won't happen again _in_ the mansion. Do it outside. That is what the training yard is for. It is big enough to take your tantrums. What was the fight about anyways?"

Alaude straightened and didn't meet Giotto's eyes. Giotto shrugged.

…

The next day, G and Lampo got into an argument.

"Stop bothering me!"

"But Ore-sama bored!"

"Then go bore someone else. I have work to do!"

"There can't be _that_ much!"

"Get off me!"

_BANG!_

Giotto jolted out of his chair.

He heard G swear. "I thought I had the safety on!"

"You're lucky I wasn't there," he heard Lampo say. It was easy to hear the conversation since Giotto left the door open. But this also meant that the crashes and gunshots were louder as well.

"Giotto, the vase broke!" Lampo shouted.

Giotto sighed and picked up his pen again. "Then clean it up! What was that gunshot for?" he hollered.

"Nothing! We just have a small hole in the wall now!" G replied just as loud.

"Leave it! Just be more careful! You should know better than to switch off the safety, G!"

"My apologies then!"

All this was done without Giotto leaving his chair or taking his eyes off the report in front of him.

The next time there was an argument Knuckle had accidentally broken a table in separating G and Alaude. Then Alaude's handcuffs scratched a long slice into the floor. Giotto's nerve twitched as he thought of his poor, beautiful mansion. But it was still just a little mess. He could handle it.

"Alaude, you're paying for that!" Giotto said automatically when he heard another _clack_ of the handcuffs and a rip. He read over a document and signed.

"Daemon's scaring off the housekeeper!" Lampo yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Giotto looked at his open doors in dismay. "Since when did we have a housekeeper?! Daemon, you are not to scare people who are guests in our home!"

"Nufufu, it's just a bit of fun. It's getting rather boring," he said as Giotto dug through the finished pile of paperwork. He found the cheque that he signed without really looking. It was to go to the woman named Alissa, the so called housekeeper who has been around for just one day.

"Whaa?" Giotto scratched his head in confusion. "I'm not fit for paperwork! I signed something without thinking."

…

The next few months were pretty much the same. Giotto was forced to close his doors so he could concentrate on his work and not jump each time there was an explosion which occurred once a week or so.

Giotto came out of his study from time to time and was finding his job relaxing. Other than helping out the town when they needed it, there was not much to do. It was the next month when he was finishing up the day's work that he found the oddest thing on his desk…

It was a stack of papers, all different sizes. Some were folded several times while some were just a sheet of paper. He read through all of them and his eyes became wider and wider at each one.

"Uh…G? Are you out there?" Giotto shouted nervously, worrying that he was misreading something _again._

"I'm here," G said and walked in.

"What's…this?"

G took the papers and raised his eyebrows. "From the looks of it, they are the bills the construction workers are asking for. They repaired all the damage done in the last month just recently. See? Their logo's right there. You don't recognise it? Alaude bought the company about a month ago after being annoyed with the police sniffing at them to get information out of what we have around the house."

Giotto did the mental math for the payment and goggled.

"How can there be this much damage? I have to pay for _all_ the materials they used?!"

G winced. "Well…a big house means that there are a lot more things to ruin…"

"But…but…" Giotto stuttered. "Our _home!"_

G sighed. "I think you picked up too many strays that know how to—and _like_ to—fight with one another. And the stronger we get, the worse the damage is, I'm afraid," he said timidly.

Giotto slumped. "God. I hope you all man up and mature already. How many fights do you think kids need to have before causing _this_ _much_ damage!"

After a thought, Giotto groaned. He decided to not tell his friend his theory that they were all technically adults, but they were adults who did not know how to control their temper, and because of that, they were actually kids who treated their mansion as a warzone.

_Even in the beginning, Daemon and Alaude were sorry for creating the mess. Now? All they do is give me these pieces of papers and go on their way. _

And that was how the first year of entering the mafia was spent for the Vongola Famiglia…

* * *

><p><em><strong>-LLM<strong>_

_**Published 2014-07-06th**_


	6. Vongola Mist Guardian: Chrome

**Chrome's Recruit**

_ONESHOT_

_..._

Okay… I think I'd actually consider this oneshot an AU… the characters _will_ seem a bit OOC. Oh, and this story has _no pairings_. Be warned that they may act like over-protective brothers towards their only female guardian some of the time.

...

**REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT _CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Time and Explanation/Background:** They did not travel to the future yet. The majority of them are third years of middle school. In this story, Chrome attends a private middle school for girls and boys instead of Kokuyo or Nami-middle (Don't ask why please, it just works that way). Mukuro, Ken, and Chikusa attend Kokuyo. The rest are at Nami-chuu.

Her parents are out of the picture and she lives with the other Guardians for convenience since they have to protect Tsuna and be together anyways when there's a summons or trouble. The Guardians are a _little_ friendlier to each other. The story starts off from when she goes back to school as a third year.

**Summary: **Hagiwara Keiji is bored with life, but that changes when Chrome Dokuro becomes his project partner. Trying to please the yakuza while leaving alive is hard work and this time he believes that they have gone too far, asking him to make _that._ What will happen to his life now? It's going sideways already!

* * *

><p>"Just look at her. She's even worse than before," a snotty girl in Chrome's class told her friend.<p>

"Shh, she might hear you."

"Does it look like I care? She's a nobody."

Chrome tried her best not to sink under her desk as she heard them talk about her. She bit the inside of her cheek and focused her gaze on her hands.

"But," another girl pointed out, "doesn't she have older brothers or something? They're supposed to be _really_ hot."

The leader scoffed. "Brothers? The last I heard, she was an only child. I was with her for the first year of middle school before she dropped out during second year."

"But I saw three guys walking her to school today…"

"Oh, get real," the leader laughed.

Then their teacher walked in. "Okay, settle down everyone." He continued when he was sure he had the full attention of the class. "We'll be starting the project we discussed last class. Find a partner to discuss what you'd like to do, and give me your top three choices by the end of the class. The sooner you have chosen, the sooner we can proceed. Go."

Everyone scrambled to find their friends. Chrome sighed and looked around. She had no friends here and no one wanted to be partnered with such a shy girl who unnerves them.

Then she noticed a boy who she didn't recognise. The teacher had called him Hagiwara Keiji or something like that. He had dark red hair which was slightly curled. If he stood, he would probably be an inch or two taller than her. He was looking at the chalkboard with a bored expression. One of his hands propped his chin up while his other hand twirled a pencil. Then he scanned the class and locked eyes with Chrome.

Hagiwara Keiji groaned inwardly when their teacher announced the project. He didn't particularly hate group work, but he would rather work alone. The rest of his class usually left him to do all the work or they would get distracted and start talking about something else. There was _always_ something else to talk about when you're surrounded by the rich and famous for most of your life.

So, he was feeling a little doomed when the only person who wasn't paired up was a girl—a new girl at that. Nanami Nagi, he believed her name was. He wondered what business her family did, to land this timid-looking girl into Namimori's top private school. She looked as if she'd be eaten alive by next week.

He thought that she looked like the nice sort which usually ended up as the outcast. She had a look that was a little too innocent to be real. Her wavy hair was long and purple and two very pretty purple eyes to match it.

They looked each other over for another minute before Keiji let out a sigh. He stood and walked to her desk. He _hated_ talking to girls. They made him nervous.

Chrome panicked. Why was he walking towards her? Was he going to harass her too? What's with that blank look on his face?

He stopped in front of her desk and looked at the table, not at her. She waited for him to speak.

"So, Nanami-san…"

"Nagi," she said softly. It surprised her that she had spoken to him. But she still wasn't used to the name, so she had spoken without thinking. She could tell that Keiji was taken by surprise and looked a bit confused, as if he didn't know exactly what he should do next.

"Oh. Oh, okay then, Nagi-chan…erm… would you like to be my partner for this project…?"

Chrome did her best not to gape. Someone actually asked if she wanted to be his partner. _That_ was something new.

"A-Ah, sure," she said quickly when Keiji began to fidget.

"Great," Keiji sighed in relief when she gave him a straight answer. He took the chair belonging to the person who usually sat in front of Chrome and settled in. "Then let's get started. You can call me Keiji. Everyone does. So, do you have anything in mind?" He asked in a bored tone, as if he was reading off a script.

"Anything's fine with me," Chrome said nonchalantly.

Keiji nodded. "That's fine too." He told her some things that might interest them both. He was surprised that he had gotten that far. _She hasn't started gushing over the latest fashion trend at the mention of clothing. Nor had her eyes glittered like the other annoying girls when I said 'make up' or 'beauty salon'. I guess that's something. Usually, the conversation would have veered way off topic by now. We might actually get some stuff done today,_ he thought with a small smile. _She's kind of…_normal.

When they finished the list, they were the first ones done. Everyone else was still talking and laughing with one another. Keiji stared at them all. This was a private school that required top grades in all subjects and he wasn't really sure how the rest of his class managed come in this far with that attitude of theirs.

"We should give it to the teacher now," Chrome said carefully. "None of the others are done, so I'm sure we can get our first choice."

"True," Keiji said slowly. They stood and walked to their teacher's desk. "Hajime sensei, we've decided on our top three."

"Already?" He seemed slightly shocked as he looked at the time. He cleared his throat to hide his shock. "Just put it on the desk." Hajime sensei stood and clapped his hands loudly as Chrome and Keiji walked back to their own seats.

"Okay, class! You have one minute to hand in your papers or your choices will be random!"

"Sensei! We didn't get enough time to chose," someone complained.

"I've given you enough time. Keiji-kun and Nagi-chan had both given me their list already!"

Chrome was slightly irritated with the teacher. _He didn't have to announce it to the world,_ she thought and looked at Keiji. Shock made her turn away. She stifled a giggle when she saw that Keiji had the expression of mild annoyance written all over his face as well.

The rest of the class was silent for a moment, staring at Hajime. Chrome heard her name and Keiji's flow through the crowd.

"_Keiji's paired with that girl?" _

"_That's an odd match..."_

Those were only some of the whispers she caught. What was so special about Keiji? He looked like any other boy she knew. Eight faces popped into her head.

Keiji ignored his classmates and opened his notebook to the page he was on. He looked over the drawing and continued sketching out the hover craft he was planning on making when he had everything he needed.

The bell rang and Hajime sensei left for his next class. Their math teacher walked in and assigned half a dozen pages of class work and another two pages for homework. Keiji only glanced at the board and went back to his notebook with a worried frown. What should he make for them this time? Maybe he should try for a stun bomb? That sounded interesting, but what if they didn't like it? He shivered. Now if only he could—

"Keiji-kun," the teacher drawled out. "You're not working."

"Oh. Sorry, sensei," he said apologetically and opened his textbook. In five minutes, he was finished with the first page. It took him another ten to finish the rest once he got the hang of it. He flipped to the two pages for homework and thought, _heck, just finish it too._

The teacher sighed. There was really no point in assigning homework to a genius, was there?

...

When Chrome went to her locker after school, she found something odd.

There were her black boots, among other things. Nothing was out of the ordinary unless she looked at the mirror.

The purple mirror had red smears all over it, making a shape that looked like a face with hollowed, blood-red eyes with a screaming mouth. Across it, they had written "_Freak! You don't belong here! Get out!"_ in black.

She blinked at it and turned to change out of her indoor shoes. Then she closed the locker and walked away. If they wanted to scare her, they would have to try harder. And what was so freaky about her anyways? Was it the fact that her boots had skulls? She didn't see how that labelled her as a freak.

"Oh, look at her!" a boy whispered as the student body walked towards the school gate. They spoke in whispers as they left the school. Others began to notice the teenagers leaning on the school's outer wall.

"That girl is so cute," a boy in her class gasped. "A beauty, that's what she is. Who's that guy beside her?"

"Hm…he doesn't look too bad. Maybe her boyfriend?"

Chrome shook her head and walked towards her friends. She was instantly noticed, since Kyoko was attracting a lot of attention from the guys with her sunshine smile.

"Chrome-chan," Kyoko said with an easy smile. "Ready to go?"

Chrome nodded with a smile.

Tsuna grinned. He watched Kyoko smile and quickly looked away, face red. "Kaa-san was cooking up a feast before we left for school. I think she wants to congratulate you for getting into the private school, Chrome."

"But Boss," Chrome said, unaware of the stares she was getting. "I used to attend this private school for most of my life."

"She doesn't know that," Tsuna said with a shrug. He slung his own school bag over a shoulder. "Let's go." Chrome smiled again and walked between her friends.

The boys who were staring at Kyoko continued to stare at the retreating figures. "Hey…wasn't that _the_ girl? The one everyone says is weird and a freak?" He pointed at Chrome.

"Yeah…what's she doing with such a cute chick?" his friend asked with a puzzled look. He turned to look at his friend, who happened to be a girl. She was staring as well.

"Oh come on—don't tell me you're interested in _girls_ now."

She snapped out of it and glared at him. She hit him with her bag. "You idiot! I'm not staring at the girl, like you perverted guys! Didn't you see that guy with her? He looked _so_ hot!"

"…Hot?" Her two guy friends repeated in incredulous looks on their faces. "_That_ guy? What has gotten into you? Your taste for male beauty! You were an expert just five minutes ago. He's not hot. He's average at most! What makes you think he's hot!?"

The girl paused and blinked. "I, he…oh gosh. I don't know." She frowned and put a finger to her lip. "I just felt drawn to him, I guess."

Reborn, who was listening to their conversation, smirked. It seemed like Tsuna's charisma was finally flowing out and affecting everyone around him. Now… if only he could train Tsuna to turn it into Mafioso seduction... he noted it down on his notepad and disappeared.

When they were far enough from the school, Chrome removed the illusion of her left eye and brought out her eye patch.

Tsuna asked Chrome as she did this, "Why don't you just go to school the way you really are?"

"I wouldn't fit in if I do that," Chrome said, not for the first time. She put her black eye patch over her left eye, which was destroyed in the same accident that damaged her organs. Then she tied the ends and brought her hair back over to cover the straps.

"There may be bullies, but it's not fair. That shouldn't stop you from expressing who you really are," Tsuna said with a sigh. "_We_ definitely don't care."

_That's because none of us are normal, Boss, even though you claim to be the sanest of us all,_ Chrome thought with a wry smile.

"You even changed your name to Nagi on the registration," Kyoko said. "Why'd you do that, Chrome-chan?"

Chrome opened her mouth to answer and closed it. She looked at her boss who gave the smallest shake of his head as he bit his lip.

They both knew that she wanted to change her name so Nanami Nagi, the somewhat normal girl, had nothing to do with Chrome Dokuro of the mafia. In a way, it was a cover—her first alias._  
><em>

Suddenly, Tsuna lurched forward and skidded to the ground. Chrome looked around in alert. _That was quick! Who did that to Boss?_

"You need more training if you can't avoid even that, Tsuna." Reborn jumped from his perch.

"Reborn-san," Chrome bowed in greeting. He nodded.

"That hurts—_hiiiiie!"_ Tsuna's eyes widened at the bullet Reborn inserted into his gun. "Why did you just put a Dying Will Bullet into the gun? I'm not going home in my boxers ever again!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why are you going to shoot me with it?" Tsuna demanded. "I'm not regretting anything. You'll kill me!"

"Want to bet?" Reborn's eye had a strange glint in them.

"N-No!" Tsuna yelped and ran.

"Boss…" Chrome murmured. Kyoko giggled.

"Chrome-chan, let's catch up!"

Chrome nodded and the two girls ran after Tsuna and Reborn.

They stopped at a large house.

"We're back!" Kyoko called out.

"Just in time," Nana sang from the kitchen. "I need some help, Kyoko-chan!"

"Hai!" Kyoko said and put her stuff down. "I'll see you later, then?" she asked. Chrome nodded and headed for her room in this large house. On the inside, it seemed like the house Boss used to live in, but it was five times bigger.

The living room was furnished for relaxation. Lambo and I-Pin were playing games on the carpet. She continued walking until she reached the stairs to the second level, where their rooms and Boss' office were.

She passed by a large window seat, where Gokudera sat, engrossed in a book. He glanced up as she passed and went back to reading about UMAs or something of the sort. He grunted and got up to go downstairs to greet their boss.

Outside the window, she saw Yamamoto practicing his baseball swings with Fuuta watching from the porch. As she continued down the hall, she passed the open doors of their rooms. Most were empty, and some housed guests or the other Guardians who might prefer the quietness of their own rooms. She passed Mukuro's before her own. She stepped in.

"Mukuro-sama," she said. "I'm home."

Mukuro's room was dark with just a slither of sunlight coming through the closed curtains.

"Kufufufufu. How was your first day of school?"

"It was fine," she said and twirled her hair. It was her first time letting it down for an entire day in a long time. She sat on the couch. "We're starting a project about the theory behind magic."

"Oya? Magic…such games. I remember playing them myself. They are much too boring, compared to what we illusionists could do, though," Mukuro mused.

"My partner might have to come over one day so we could finish the poster together."

Mukuro's eyebrows rose. "They'll be coming here?"

As if he had a bat's ears, Hibari was in the room with a glare clearly asking, What's this nonsense about some herbivore coming over?

To annoy him, Mukuro chuckled and smiled widely. "You must be wondering who would dare enter a house full of monsters. Nagi will be bringing home some classmates from her school."

Hibari's glare turned to ice at the mention of even _more_ crowding. He turned the glare to Chrome.

"Why?" was all he asked.

"It's for a project," Chrome said quickly. "You won't even know he's here. We'll be out of your hair before you know it."

Both their eyes narrowed.

"You're bringing a _boy_?" Mukuro asked.

Hibari smirked and thought he'd tease his nemesis. "Is Pineapple Head feeling a little insecure?"

Mukuro glared at Hibari. "Oya, oya… you're paying for that."

"_Hiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"_ they heard Tsuna scream from a few doors away.

_Darn,_ they both thought. Tsuna's Hyper Intuition must have caught the nastiness seeping out of the room, thick like honey.

"Mukuro, Hibari-san! _Do-o-o-on't!"_ Tsuna ran, half tripping, and arrived at Mukuro's room with wide eyes. He flicked the lights on. "Please don't start a fight in the house!"

"Get out," both of them snapped and gave him a threatening glare.

"Boss…I'll be bringing a classmate of mine over to our house sometime this week."

"Oh…" Tsuna was confused with how that related with the fight. Then it clicked. "Uh, what's your classmate's name? I'm sure we can have him—it is a him, right?—stay for dinner, and you'll keep him busy from wandering around too much."_ And tripping over wire traps set by Reborn for _me_ or grenades that Lambo left around the house,_ he thought.

Chrome had a split second to decide whether she should give his name. The other Guardians were very suspicious and untrusting when it came to people outside the family having contact with the Guardians.

But then again, Boss would stop anyone from maiming him too much during his visit. "He's Hagiwara Keiji."

"We can't have outsiders in our home, Juudaime," Gokudera exclaimed from the doorway. Gokudera had abandoned his reading glasses but his hair was still tied back. "We really mustn't! The first chance they get, they'll report you to the police because that Stupid Cow is bound to do something stupid that will give us away," he said, trying to convince their Boss not to let whoever this Hagi-watsit enter their home.

Back to the topic, Hibari turned to Mukuro. "I'm going to bite you to death," Hibari said. It was all Mukuro's fault that even more herbivores came into this room. The room itself was spacious, but there were still too much crowding going on.

"Kufufufu…you can try, but you'll never succeed."

Ignoring Tsuna's pleading cries, they charged at each other.

"I don't care, Reborn! This destruction's not going on my tab! It's going on theirs!" Tsuna said, fed up.

Chrome felt sympathetic for her boss. Since they moved in here last summer, Reborn had warned them all that he would pay for whatever damage will been done to the house, but he'll be putting it onto the tab of whoever caused it, so when Tsuna finally became Vongola Decimo and gives his Guardians a salary, they would all owe Reborn whatever he had to pay to fix the damage.

Reborn thought that it was a very neat trick.

...

Keiji continued to finalise his plans for the day as he approached the building complex his aunt lived in. His parents were away on a business trip for a few weeks, and his mother had left him in the hands of her younger sister and her family.

"I'm home!" Keiji announced as he entered the apartment. His aunt greeted him cheerfully.

"You're early, Keiji. I thought you'd be gone for a while."

"A change of plans," he replied and stepped through the doorway. He took off his shoes as he explained to his aunt. "Instead of going straight to the convention I thought that I'd eat and change first." The convention he was talking about was the one where all recent inventions created by people of Namimori and others from the neighbouring towns were displayed to the public in downtown. It was something Keiji always looked forward to. Not enough people appreciated the excitement of creating new technology and creative inventions.

"That's fine with me," she said. "We have dinner an hour before this convention of yours starts. You can start on your school work while you wait."

Keiji nodded and headed down the hall with a small smile. He stopped by his older cousin's room.

"Yo, Shoichi."

"Hey! You're back," Irie Shoichi grinned at his cousin over the book he was reading. "How was school?"

"Boring, as usual; I didn't have club meetings today so it wasn't interesting."

"Mm," Shoichi said in understanding as he went back to his book. Keiji flopped down on the floor and took out some notebooks.

"Are you still planning on becoming a musician?"

Shoichi stiffened and relaxed. In reply to Keiji's question, he nodded. Keiji snorted. "But honestly, you're no good at playing instruments," he said as he skimmed through his textbook for a few minutes before closing it with a sigh. Studying was indeed boring work.

"But I really want to make a living as a musician!" Shoichi retorted and sat up from his bed, setting his book aside for a moment.

"Look, you've got the brains. Go for something like engineering. It's much more fun."

"Not this again!" He clutched his stomach as the topic came up. "I don't want to do that…too much work."

"Come on, you won't regret it," Keiji said and put both arms on the table and leaned forward. "It's great! Come with me to the convention this evening and you'll be hooked right in."

Shoichi looked at his cousin warily. Although he was a year younger than Shoichi, Keiji seemed to have his future all planned out.

"Those conventions you always go to don't seem interesting at all. I've been to them with you."

Keiji waved a hand. "That's different!"

Shoichi shook his head stubbornly. "No! I don't want to go!"

Keiji sighed. "You sure? Just this once…"

"You said that last month!"

"I swear that this will be the last one I drag you to!" Keiji said with a serious face.

"…Well…okay…"

Keiji grinned and ducked down to work on his physics homework. _Good. He didn't detect my lie._

A few minutes after dinner found Keiji in the guest room, dressed in a sweater and jeans. He picked up an object. He looked it over and grinned. He entered Shoichi's room.

"Hey!"

"Huh?" Shoichi said. "Oh, you're going now?"

"Yeah, and you're coming with me. Put that book down."

"On second thought, I don't want to go."

"I knew you'd say that," Keiji said. Shoichi looked up and tried to yell.

Minutes later, Keiji had Shoichi successfully bound and gagged. As they passed, Irie Sachiko looked up from her magazine with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are you taking my brother?"

"Out. He needs to go out more," Keiji said.

Sachi nodded. "I'll tell our mom about it."

"Gotcha. Thanks, Sachi," Keiji said and opened the door.

The two of them on the street before Shoichi knew what happened.

_How did I end up like this?_ Shoichi asked as he stared at Keiji with a horrified glance. Keiji turned his head and his smile widened when he saw Shoichi staring at him. He continued walking as he pulled Shoichi along, which was easy, since Shoichi was on a platform and all Keiji had to do was make sure the wheels didn't come off!

Keiji thought back to how easy it was to restrain Shoichi. He replayed what happened in his mind as Shoichi was busy struggling against his bonds.

_**-Flashback-**_

_Keiji entered Shoichi's room and held out something in one hand. It was just slightly bigger than his fist. It was a silver cube. When Keiji pressed a button, it expanded. He tossed it to his cousin who was starting to get up. In seconds, Shoichi was swept off his feet and down to the ground with his hands tied behind his back with ropes. There was a metal support for his back and head. A leather band held his forehead in place and his mouth was covered so he couldn't scream. _

_His legs were tied together and placed on the small metal platform. Keiji pressed a button on the small remote and Shoichi was brought up from the floor to a standing position._

"_Excellent," Keiji said with a smirk. "It works perfectly! Now…Prototype One: Follow." But, the kidnapping invention Keiji invented did not move. Keiji had frowned and leaned in closer. "Prototype One: Follow," he repeated louder._

_A small ray of hope entered Shoichi, hoping that if the invention could not move, he wouldn't have to go with him. _

_Keiji frowned again. "Okay, then I'll just do this manually, since it seems like the voice recognition still needs some work." He flashed Shoichi another smile and pulled him out the apartment._

_**-Flashback End-**_

_Why do I have to have a cousin who's obsessed with new gadgets and inventing things?_ Shoichi thought despairingly. _How on earth did he make this anyways?_

They arrived at the massive gathering in ten minutes. Keiji pressed another button and the prototype was instantly retracted into its compact form.

"What was that for?" Shoichi shouted. Keiji shrugged.

"I thought that it would be the only way to get you to come along. Your mother said it would be a good idea to bring you here since you seemed to always hide yourself in your room, and going on with those fantasies of becoming a musician."

Shoichi gaped. "Okaa-san! She's in on this too?"

"Sure. She and your sister say you suck at music."

Shoichi sighed. "But they didn't tell you to use your K.I to take me outside."

Keiji stopped and cocked his head. "K.I?"

"Kidnapping Invention!" Shoichi said irritably.

"That is actually a good name for it! K.I… not bad at all. Thanks! Now let's go," Keiji said. Shoichi looked around and saw that, for some reason, he and Keiji were in the centre of attention!

"O-Oi, Keiji…what's going on? Why are they staring at us?" Shoichi became nervous and stepped closer to Keiji. His stomach was beginning to hurt and that wasn't helping him.

"Hm? Oh. I don't know. I _promise. L_et's get a snack over there! It's a robot who's supposed to serve you."

"H-How could you possibly know that?" Shoichi asked. They weren't even _near_ the said robot. The look Keiji gave him was one of amusement. "I don't. But I'm ninety nine percent sure. If it isn't, I'd offer to make it one. Now, enough dawdling_," _he said.

_He's so excited when it comes to these things,_ Shoichi thought with a resigned sigh.

...

Chrome stood in front of one of the many strange conventions that Namimori held, wondering _why_ on earth was she there. _Well,_ she thought. _First, Gokudera came and dragged me with him and Yamamoto to protect Boss. We could do a three-man look out. Better surveillance. _Even as she thought this, she could tell that there would be no trouble at all.

She was staring at all the strange things that were moving about in this part of town. Then she spotted two red heads. She was sure one of them was Keiji.

"Boss," she murmured.

"HIIEE! Oh—Chrome! _Phew…_I thought it was some other mafia-related person," Tsuna muttered. Then he cocked his head. _Why is Chrome here?_ He remembered Gokudera telling her to follow them…

Tsuna picked himself off the ground. "S-Sorry you got dragged into this…ahaha…I'm sure you have more urgent things to do…ite…that hurts…" Tsuna winced and rubbed his neck.

Chrome shook her head. "No, I don't have anything to do…Boss, why are you here?" She asked bluntly.

Tsuna blinked at her. They stared for a moment, both looking slightly clueless. Tsuna turned to Reborn.

"Why _am_ I here?"

"You're here because I need to hunt down Giannini," Reborn said through gritted teeth. His fedora covered the top half of his face, giving him a mysterious aura. "I will kill him when I find him. You will sharpen your training on spotting targets. I will kill two birds with one stone."

Tsuna shivered.

Chrome continued to stare calmly at them as Reborn explained his plan. Then her gaze wandered to the crowd.

"We'll protect Juudaime with everything we've got!"

Tsuna and Yamamoto did their best to restrain Gokudera from flying off into the air with his declaration.

Reborn let them at it and hopped to the ledge beside the quiet Chrome.

"Chrome."

She turned to give him a questioning look. He continued, "Are you looking for someone?"

Chrome opened her mouth and shut it. Her shy personality took over. "No. I don't think so," she said quietly.

Reborn read her expression. "Go. Making more family relations is good for the Vongola. Tsuna needs all the friends he can get."

She was surprised by his answer. "Hai," she said, not sure if Reborn meant it or not. He was asking her to _make friends_ with someone she barely knew. But then Reborn had that look in his eyes. "Hai, Reborn. I'll be back soon." No one disobeyed Reborn when he stared at them like that.

"Where is she going? I just finalised our plan!" Gokudera said when he spotted Chrome wading through the crowd. "And she can't just go off like that."

Reborn jumped to Yamamoto's shoulder.

"I just gave her a mission. The three of you will help me hunt down Giannini."

...

"Keiji, I'm going to the washroom," Shoichi said and pointed to the public washrooms nearby. Keiji watched his cousin suspiciously.

"You're not going to run away on me, are you?"

"N-No! I really have to go!"

"Okay," Keiji said, unconvinced. "I'll be by the food court…"

Shoichi nodded and left.

Kieji sighed and turned around, nearly bumping into a purple haired girl. His jaw dropped and he backed away in surprise.

"Hey, you're…Nagi-chan! I barely recognised you," he said.

Chrome blushed and raised a hand to brush her eye patch. She forgot that she had it on. And her hair was tied up like Mukuro's. She supposed that she looked quite different.

They stood like that for another minute. "So…you're here with friends?" He asked when the atmosphere was getting too awkward. Then he winced. He had finally caught up with school gossip and learned that for some reason, people tended to avoid her and call her names. She had no friends.

"Yes, I'm here with my family," she answered.

"Oh. I'm…here with my cousin, Irie Shoichi. Not sure if you've seen him before or not," he rambled on. It was either that or clam up and say not a word.

While Kaiji was feeling uncomfortable, Chrome felt nonchalant. But she remembered that Reborn said Boss needed all the friends he could get. _Being friends with people you barely know is hard, _she thought.

"I guess I'll see you around then," Keiji was beginning to say when three boys loomed over him. Well technically, only one of them did, but it didn't seem that way.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing, talking to Juudaime's Mist Guardian's replacement!?"

"Whoa!" Keiji exclaimed and tripped over his feet as Gokudera put his hands in his pockets, ready to pull out his weapon. "Are you an enemy agent who's trying to get through her to Juudaime? If you are…" Gokudera said in a very threatening tone.

"Hiiiie! Gokudera-kun! You're jumping to conclusions! He's just a normal person," Tsuna screamed. "Don't drag him into this!"

"Anyone can be an agent," Reborn put in. "They don't have to be good. Take that stupid cow for an example."

"Reborn, you're not helping."

"He's a friend," Chrome said quickly, knowing that what Gokudera held were not toys. "Boss, he's not an agent. He's the classmate I was talking about."

"O-Oh… Y-You heard, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said pleadingly.

"If Juudaime says so," Gokudera said grudgingly, shooting Keiji another glare.

"Thanks," Keiji breathed out. He didn't know what just happened, but he was pretty sure she just saved his bacon.

"Sorry about that…Hagiwara-san, was it?" Tsuna said.

"Er, yeah," Keiji said and stepped back so he was slightly closer to Chrome. He'd prefer a classmate over a stranger any day. _Are these the brothers people are talking about?_ He looked from face to face. _They don't look related _at all._ So I guess that's a false rumour. _

"K-Keiji!" Shoichi was back, staring at the group with a horrified expression on his face.

"You actually came back," Keiji said with raised eyebrows. "Hey, meet—" He didn't get to finish introductions since he was being dragged away by his cousin. "O-Oi, what's the matter?" Keiji asked in dismay. He turned around to see Chrome and her friends looking at them with a confused look as well.

"What's wrong, Shoichi?" he asked when they stopped by the fountain.

"Th-Those people!" Shoichi let go of Keiji's arm to grab his shoulders, shaking him. "Why were you with them!? They're dangerous! Well, not Sawada. I met him a year ago when I fixed his bike—but that's beside the point!"

"Ghuwa-a-a!" Keiji sputtered, unable to speak properly with Shoichi shaking him so hard. "STOP," he managed to shout.

Shoichi froze and blinked.

"Jeez, Shoichi! What gave you the idea that they were dangerous? I'd admit that they're weird, but _dangerous?"_

"You should stay away from them," Shoichi exclaimed. "They're always blowing things up! And monsters! Big fisted teenage monsters—Keiji, stop laughing. I'm serious," Shoichi complained.

Keiji waved a hand. "Sorry, sorry…it's just… monsters…teenage big fisted monsters… pfft…Go on, go on."

Shoichi narrowed his eyes and pushed his glasses higher on his nose. He crossed his arms and turned away from Keiji with every intention of giving him the silent treatment.

"Haha…hey, Shoichi! Wait up!" Keiji instantly stopped laughing to run after his cousin. "It was just a joke. You weren't serious about it anyways, right?"

...

Chrome, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto stared after the two boys.

Yamamoto asked, "Who were they?"

Then Gokudera had a brilliant idea. "I can do a search on him if you'd like, Juudaime!"

"N-No! It's perfectly fine, you don't need to well, search, him," Tsuna said quickly. Reborn kicked his head.

"Hurry up and search for that idiotic Giannini."

"HIIIE—alright, alright!"

...

When Keiji and Shoichi arrived home, it was well past midnight.

"How did I let you talk me into staying so late?" Shoichi demanded. Keiji shrugged.

"You found your hidden love for mechanics?"

"Oh stuff it," Shoichi said and stifled a yawn. _Okay, maybe they__ seem a bit interesting,_ Shoichi thought, _but I'm still aiming to be a musician!_

Keiji let out a large yawn as Shoichi unlocked the door. "Maybe I went overboard. Man, it's already twelve thirty. Still have school in a few hour..s…" He yawned again.

"I'm going to make you suffer if I fall asleep in class," Shoichi said as the two of them walked like zombies through the apartment.

"Shh!" Keiji said.

Just as they were reaching the bedrooms, the room was flooded with light. They winced as their eyes adjusted to the brightness. The two of them gulped. Shoichi's mother was glaring at them.

"Good…morning…auntie," Keiji said weakly.

"Don't you know what time it is?"

They gulped.

"Sachi has classes tomorrow and so do the two of you! What were you thinking, staying out so late?"

"We're very sorry!" The two of them said in unison. Keiji continued, "It was really my fault—I forced Shoichi to stay with me."

Keiji thought, _Here comes the lecture…man, we are royally busted._

...

The next day, Keiji was sitting by his desk near the window watching the late arrivals to enter the school. Then most of his classmates noticed a commotion going on near the gate. Everyone in the class wandered to the windows to see.

"That's Nanami Nagi," someone said. Keiji got interested and looked out as well. Sure enough, he saw his project partner standing by the gate with two guys. Both looked tall and athletic. They were wearing Nami-chuu and Nami-high's uniform. One had black hair and was carrying a soft bamboo sword bag. The other one had bandaged hands and silver hair. A girl gasped.

"That's Yamamoto Takeshi, the best baseball player in Namimori, and possibly the whole of Japan!"

"No way! Let me see!"

Then Keiji noticed three more figures walking towards the three. These three wore a green uniform. The one in front had blue hair, tied in a fashion that reminded Keiji of a pineapple…and that reminded him of someone else. The other two behind the blue haired teen seemed like followers. One had blond hair and the other wore a beanie hat.

Someone said nervously, "That's Kokuyo's uniform…from the next town over. They're famous for delinquents who have at least been in juvenile jail one time or another!"

"That one looks dangerous," a girl cooed.

"You don't sound scared," Keiji muttered. Yamamoto Takeshi…that was who he saw yesterday at the convention…

Someone almost choked. He looked back and saw that Yamamoto had put an arm around the Kokuyo's shoulder. The other Namimori student was screaming something that sounded a lot like, "_Extreme!"_ from where they were standing.

"So those are Nanami's brothers," someone said.

Keiji rolled his eyes.

...

Around six in the evening, Keiji was in the park, fiddling with some metal parts. His hands were greasy and his clothes were a mess.

"Right. Now that I have it like this, I'm only missing the parts which will start it up," he muttered to himself as he stared down at the machinery. He had the handles for balance, but he had nothing that could make it _go forward._

"Okay, then let's try this." He pressed a button and the plate hummed noisily. Keiji winced. "Oh, shut up! You're too loud!" He smacked it smartly. His invention rose and paused when it reached a foot in the air. He sighed and placed a greasy finger in the centre. He pushed down and the craft didn't resist. He rolled his eyes and released the pressure. It popped back to its original hovering stance.

"At this rate, it wouldn't be able to hold a _dog_ and stay in the air."

He sat down on the bench and closed his eyes to rest.

"Wow! That looks cool!" He heard a high pitched voice. Keiji groaned. He _hated_ talking to strangers. It made him uncomfortable, especially when it was about his inventions. Keiji looked down._ Oh. They're kids. I'm fine with kids._

"Hey, don't touch anything," Keiji said. The two looked at him.

"Onii-chan, were you the one who made this?" The girl asked Keiji in awe.

"There's no way he did," the boy said.

"Oh yes I did," Keiji said, annoyed that someone was questioning him.

"It's so _cool!"_ The girl gushed out. Keiji sighed.

"Yeah, it is. But it doesn't work."

They looked at him. "What do you mean, onii-chan?"

"It's supposed to carry me from place to place, but it can't even hold my weight. See?" He found himself demonstrating to two little kids who probably wouldn't understand half of what he explained.

"Oh." The two kids looked depressed.

"_Meow!"_

The two kids snapped their heads up. Keiji also looked around to see the cat.

"Where did that come from?" The girl wondered.

"There's a cat in the tree," Keiji said. _I wonder why I didn't hear it sooner. I was here for about two hours—oh, shoot! I've been here for two hours!_ _I am going to die if I'm late again!_

"Awe, poor kitty," the girl said sadly. "How can we save it?"

"Huh? Just feed it some fish or something," Keiji said as he packed up his equipment.

"Where do we get fish?" The girl asked.

"I wouldn't know," Keiji snapped back. The girl took a step back and her lips trembled. Keiji released a tired sigh and covered his face with a hand before letting it fall. _I guess I'll be very late yet again,_ he thought. He decided that he would climb up to get the cat.

Just as he began to climb, Chrome entered the park, although Keiji was too focused on the cat to recognise her.

Chrome had her hair down again, but her eye patch was still in place. _What's he doing? _She stood by the gates and watched.

Keiji carefully swung himself onto the branch the cat was on. He slumped there, heaving in as much air as he could and releasing it.

_Man, I'm out of shape,_ he thought grimly.

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" the boy called up to him.

He waved a hand and looked at the cat. It was a scrawny black tom. "Alright, dude, Come over here. We'll get you down." He reached for the cat. It hissed and swiped a paw at him. Keiji pulled back his hand just in time.

"Why you ungrateful little thing…Come 'ere!" He made a grab for the cat the same instant it pounced. Keiji let out a hiss of his own as the cat clawed its way up to the teen's head.

"Ite! You damn cat! Stop scratching me!"

Suddenly, the cat froze, with his claws still in Keiji's flesh. He raised his head and sniffed the air. It let out a content meow and raced down the tree trunk.

"Watch it!" Keiji yelped as the two of them stumbled out of the tree and onto the ground, with plenty of leaves stuck to his body. He groaned and opened his eyes. The two kids and Chrome were staring intently at him.

"What the heck was that?" he muttered. He saw Chrome raise the cat so he could see it. Keiji yelped and scooted backwards.

"It likes catnip," Chrome said softly with a smile. Keiji's hair was a mess and it became even messier as he ran his greasy fingers through it in confusion.

"Catnip," he repeated. "Where on earth did catnip come from?"

Chrome decided that it would be wiser to not say she made an illusion of the smell that would reach the cat's sensitive nose.

"You look like a tree monster," the boy observed and poked Keiji's right cheek. The girl poked his left cheek. Keiji had a blank look on his face as his eyes went from one kid to the other. His entire body was hurting and he tried not to show it. He noticed that the sun was setting.

"Yeah, and this tree monster will gobble you up if you don't go home to mama soon." To make it realistic, he picked up to fallen branches and raised them dully. Then he let out a growl. The kids let out a gleeful yell and ran off.

"I'd better get back too," Keiji said after a minute.

"Yes," Chrome said. She set the cat down to let it go home. Keiji looked at himself and groaned. He actually did look like a tree monster. Branches and leaves…mud, grass…_sigh._ Chrome giggled. He looked up from under his bangs and groaned.

"This isn't funny, Nagi-chan…"

Those words and his expression only made Chrome giggle harder. "S-Sorry…" She was remembering the two little kids poking at him curiously.

"Yeah, well, let's go," he mumbled. Then as they were walking, he realised that Chrome was definitely unlike any girl he knew of. He shook his head in awe.

"Hey, Hagiwara!"

Keiji stiffened and turned. He saw three men strutting towards them. He backed away, pulling Chrome with him.

"Maybe you should go," he said into Chrome's ear. She shook her head, which surprised him.

"Hello," he called to them hesitantly. "It's not the due date yet, so…why are you here?"

The leader of the group—a big hulk looking guy—sneered. "That's because our boss has a special request for you this time. And you better make it work."

Keiji looked at them warily.

The leader leaned in and before he said anything, he looked at Chrome and grinned wickedly. "Maybe he can change it and have me take _her_ back with us instead."

Offended, Chrome stiffened and stood straighter. Keiji pulled her back and out of view. "Leave her out of this. This is just between me and your boss."

The leader growled. "Kid, you don't know who you're messing with."

Keiji stepped back, forcing Chrome to do the same even though what she really wanted to do was whack him over good and hard with her trident, which come to think of it…was in her bag. She unzipped it and quietly brought the collapsed trident to its full length.

The leader grinned. "But fine. This is the request." He leaned in again and whispered in Keiji's ear. It was too quiet for Chrome to hear, but she saw Keiji's back tense, and heard shock in his voice when he said, "Y-You want me to—" He stopped himself and stared at the leader in horror.

"Yeah, and it can't look like one! Nothing will break even if you drop it from a few metres high. You do that, or you-know-what," the leader said with a laugh. "Now, about this cute little thing," he said and pushed Keiji aside. Keiji stumbled and caught himself after two steps. He was about to pull Chrome and run but stopped to gape at the weapon she held.

"What the—!?" He stared at the ridiculous sight of a large man standing over a small girl who had a trident which was almost two heads taller than she was, but she held it as though she used it all her life.

"Step back," she ordered the man with a glare in her eye.

"You should put that down before you hurt yourself, girlie," the leader said and crossed his muscled arms over a broad chest. The other two advanced.

Chrome spun the trident and slammed it to the ground. Keiji watched in confusion as the men began to scream and slap at their clothes and scratch their faces.

"Leave us alone," she said again, in a commanding tone. Keiji's mouth was still wide open. Suddenly, the air around him became scorching hot and then cooled slightly.

He didn't get a chance to recover before the men fell to the ground, let out a scream worthy of a Hollywood horror movie, and ran as if the devil itself was after them. The air around them returned to its normal temperature. He didn't get the chance to ponder on it.

Chrome released the illusion and leaned on the trident to catch her breath. She did her best to make it so only the three men were affected by the illusion, and that took skills. She stiffened when she remembered why she did that.

_Oh no,_ she thought._ Keiji-kun's going to think I'm some kind of freak._ She swayed and shook her head to clear it.

"Hey, are you alright?" Keiji asked worriedly and began to approach her.

"Chrome!"

Keiji was in for another surprise when someone fell from the sky. He stepped back, this time from shock.

"Chrome, are you alright?" Tsuna asked worriedly. He turned her to see if she was injured. "I felt your flame rise like crazy all of a sudden. Mukuro should be here any second now. But what happened? Why are you so tired?"

"Boss…" she whispered with her eyes half closed. She leaned her forehead on his shoulder and muttered something incoherent. Then she stood straighter and shook her head again. "I'm fine."

"What happened to her?" Mukuro demanded as he materialized beside Tsuna, who didn't bat an eyelash at the sudden appearance.

Keiji fell flat on his behind and stared at them, jaw still hanging open.

"I don't know," Tsuna said. He narrowed his eyes to the street behind him. "I saw three men running away, so I think she was defending herself from them." He turned worried eyes to Mukuro.

"Do you think they did something to her?"

Mukuro took Chrome's chin in his hand with a frown. He tilted her face to the left and right. She blinked slowly up at him.

"Nagi's alright. She's just exhausted."

Then to Keiji's horror, the man laughed.

"Kufufufu. My dear Nagi…you're out of practice, to be out of energy after such a simple illusion."

"Mm," Chrome mumbled softly. "I'm fine now, though."

Tsuna looked around and saw Keiji on the ground.

"EEP!" he said with a start. "H-Hagiwara-san!"

Mukuro's eyes sharpened and glared at Keiji. Keiji gulped.

"Mukuro…you're scaring him," Tsuna whispered urgently to his Mist Guardian. "Let's just get Chrome home."

Mukuro shot Keiji a warning look.

"Boy…one word of this and you will never see the light of day again. You'll forever be enclosed with darkness and wish that you can die…"

Keiji's vision blurred and he was suddenly plunged into a black void with crows eating his face off. He let out a surprised yell and found himself back on the sidewalk.

"I-I won't say anything!" he said, and meant it. Mukuro began walking with Chrome right behind.

"Sorry, Hagiwara-san," Tsuna said. He jogged to catch up to the two illusionists.

"Mukuro! That was uncalled for. You didn't have to threaten him with an illusion."

"Kufufu…when did I ever follow your instructions, Tsunayoshi?"

"…Almost never," Tsuna mumbled. "But still. He was just a civilian. The more you show him, the more he's involved. Before you know it, Reborn will be forcing me to make him join our family."

"Mukuro…sama, Boss. I'm alright…I'm sorry for the trouble," she told her two companions.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt, Chrome. What do we do about Hagiwara-san now?" Tsuna asked in barely a whisper. "Reborn's going to do something. I could just _smell_ it."

"The baby can do whatever he wishes, can't you, Arcobaleno?" Mukuro called out. Chrome looked around and saw Reborn smirk as he left his hiding place.

"Dame-Tsuna, you don't go flying in broad daylight unless I tell you to."

Tsuna waved at the sky nervously and gulped. "It's getting dark, so it would be harder to see. Besides, I had to get here quickly." He stuffed his mittens into a pocket.

"A mafia boss always has to be careful no matter what he does. At least twenty people saw you flying. You need more training."

"_Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!_ Stop threatening me with that!"

...

"I'm home!" Keiji hollered out and ran to his room before his aunt could see the mess he was in. After dropping off his stuff, he ran to the bathroom. He was shaken up by what he had seen.

He bumped into Shoichi as he was exiting the bathroom. His eyes were wide. "Wow, Keiji! What happened to you? You're a mess!"

"Yes, yes, I know, so move out of the way!" He ducked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Shoichi looked puzzled.

Later, Keiji was in his room reading a book of bombs throughout the ages. Then he set it down with a sigh. It was about time he had to make something for them.

"A bomb, huh?" he muttered. "They want me to make a bomb for them. I was planning on a stun bomb, but they want an actual destructive bomb."

_Should I even make it?_ He asked himself. _What if they use it on a building, and I end up responsible for any injuries and…and deaths, because I made the bomb?_

But then he had a brilliant idea, all consequences forgotten. He sat up and stared at the white wall. "What if I…" He started imagining the creation in his head. "Yes, that sounds cool," he murmured and got his notebook and started to think of this bomb he was about to make. Once he got started on something, there was no stopping it, even if it was a nuclear bomb. He stopped. "Of course, I'm not making a nuclear bomb," he convinced himself and continued sketching.

He was still working when Shoichi poked his head into his room. Shoichi saw that his cousin was sprawled on the bed.

"Keiji…"

"Hm?" Keiji was making a list for all he needed now.

"Are you okay?" Shoichi asked and sat down on the chair for Keiji's desk. He looked at the book of bombs on the floor and picked it up to skim through.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" _Now, how many litres do I need of this?_ Keiji thought and did the calculations.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you looked as if you've been watching a really scary horror movie," Shoichi said.

Keiji stopped writing. "Uh…since when have you been an expert at reading facial expressions?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

Shoichi blushed. "I'm not!"

"Nothing's wrong with me. You were just imagining things," Keiji said reassuringly. "Hey, do you want to help me test out my new version of K.I? It has electric shock now. I also fixed up the voice recognition."

Shoichi dropped the book and quickly went for the door. "No thanks! I'm feeling kind of tired tonight. I'll leave you to whatever you're doing then. Good night!" He slammed the door.

Keiji stared at it for a few seconds before sighing.

...

"Eto... you guys don't have to follow me to school," Chrome said after five minutes of walking.

"Haha! It's just on the way to ours," Yamamoto said.

"But my school starts half an hour before yours…you'll be too early," Chrome countered.

"It's _extreme_ to leave earlier! Now Hibari won't have a reason to bite us to death since we'll be early!" Ryohei said.

"You're an idiot! If we enter the school now, we'll be too early and he'll accuse us of loitering, and then bite us all to death," Gokudera shouted at Ryohei. "I'm not going to have Juudaime bitten to death by that prefect!"

"I'M THE BOXING CAPTAIN, SO I CAN BE THERE EARLY, OCTOPUS HEAD,_" _Ryohei shouted back.

Her boss sighed. "Come on, guys, are we really going to argue about this?" And he turned to an invisible Mukuro.

"Mukuro, you're _supposed_ to be attending Kokuyo's high school, not ditching whenever you can."

"Kufufu," was all Mukuro said.

Tsuna sweatdropped. "Stop that. It's freaking me out."

"_Kufufufufufufufufufufufufufu...fu."_ Mukuro said and enjoyed watching Vongola Decimo's expression turn pale.

"C-Cut it out," he said, trying to sound sharp.

Chrome shrugged and ignored them all. Then they approached the school gates. She turned to her boss and the other Guardians.

"Boss, I'm here now."

Tsuna smiled. "Have a good day then, Chrome."

"Hey, look! There's a crowd. Good thing Hibari decided not to come, ne?" Yamamoto laughed. When Gokudera looked, he wished he hadn't. He scowled and the crowd squealed in delight at being glared at.

"They're worse than the ones we have at school," he muttered to Yamamoto and Tsuna. "Juudaime, I suggest that we leave now."

"Eh?" Tsuna looked around and gulped. As always, his friends managed to attract a crowd.

From the crowd's perspective, four hot teenagers were surrounding Chrome (Mukuro was still invisible), and they didn't like that one bit.

"_I don't see what's so special about her." _

"_Look at that gorgeous foreigner. He just looked at us!"_

"_I found out that he is Gokudera Hayato. The other one, as we know, is Yamamoto Takeshi. My friend from Nami-High told me the third one is Sasagawa Ryohei, the boxing captain. And the fourth is Dame-Tsuna."_

"_Where was the one from yesterday?" _

"_It looks like he's not here today…"_

Tsuna twitched and looked at where Mukuro should be from the corner of his eye. _I'm getting the creeps listening to them talk like that. _Tsuna glanced at his watch. "We should get going."

"Hai, Juudaime!" Gokudera turned to Chrome. "You better take care of yourself in this hell hole. If anyone tries anything on Juudaime's Guardian, it's her responsibility to pound them to dust!"

Chrome winced and nodded slowly. "Right…I'll do that…" _Not likely,_ she thought in her head.

"We'll see you later then," Yamamoto said. "Hibari's supposed to pass by here around the time you're dismissed. The two of you can come home together!"

Chrome sighed. They were all too worried for her sake after what happened yesterday. They all treated the attack on her as an attack on all of them.

"More like Hibari-san's going to hope to bite some yakuza 'herbivores' to death," Tsuna muttered under his breath. Chrome's lips twitched into a smile.

"Ja ne," Tsuna said and they walked off with her boss in the lead, although they probably weren't aware that they were doing it.

Chrome turned and saw Keiji walking towards her uncomfortably. She stiffened and stood frozen where she was. The crowd was dispersing since the "hot guys from Nami" were gone.

Keiji stopped a foot away from her.

"How do I say this?" Keiji asked and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for yesterday," he blurted out. Chrome's head shot up.

"What?"

Then Keiji began to rant, explaining about yesterday and why he was thanking her. He took in a breath and let it out. He saw Chrome staring, both eyes widened with the rant.

"Ano," Chrome said hesitantly. "You…aren't scared of me?"

Keiji blinked. "No, should I?"

"You didn't see me do anything, but those three men ran off," she said as they walked into the building. "Didn't you find that strange?"

"Well, yes, it was strange," he admitted. "I want to know how you did it, and if the trident had anything to do with it. Are you carrying it with you now?" He asked. Chrome stared into his eyes, which had excitement. She didn't understand.

"Y-Yes, I do, but what…"

"It was pretty interesting, the way how it just fit into the bag," he continued on, ignoring the stares they were getting.

"_I can't believe Keiji's talking to her."_

"_I thought Hagiwara was better than that."_

"I… just collapse it," Chrome said as if it was obvious. Hibari did the same with his pair of tonfa, so that they'd fit in his pocket. Nothing was strange about that.

"Hm," Keiji said, deep in thought. He slid the door to their classroom open and walked in. They were still early, and not many people were in the class yet. Chrome went to her seat and sat. Keiji hovered nearby, not at all uncomfortable with her any longer.

"What _did_ you do to those guys?"

Chrome said nothing. Keiji had thought she wouldn't.

"Your brother already showed me a sneak peak of what he could do, if he meant good on his threat," he said. "Was it him who brought me to that dark place with the crows?"

Chrome looked up in surprise. Her eyes were questioning.

"I was telling you about it before, but I guess I was talking a bit too fast," Keiji said and rubbed his neck.

"Oh," Chrome said. She cocked her head. "My…brother?"

"The one who had his hair up like how you do sometimes," Keiji replied. "You know…the pineapple look?"

Chrome choked back a laugh. "S-sorry," she said through giggles. She tried to control herself. "P-Please don't mention that if you talk to him…he doesn't like it when people make fun of his hairstyle."

"R-Right," Keiji said and shivered. "So was it him who did it?"

"Hai. He was the one who showed you the…" Chrome paused hesitantly. "He was the one who showed you the illusion."

_**-Flashback-**_

"Chrome, Hagiwara-san's probably going to want some answers from you tomorrow," Tsuna said when they were in his office with Reborn. "What are you going to tell him?"

"I…don't know," she said.

"Tch! She should tell him nothing!"

"Hn. Just don't cause more trouble for me," Hibari warned her.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. From what I've heard, I think we owe him an explanation."

"Kufufufu. I already showed him a little of my illusions."

"You did _what?"_ Gokudera exclaimed.

Chrome looked around nervously.

"It's not like he's going to believe her if she does tell him that they were illusions," Gokudera said.

"And if he does what then?" Yamamoto asked.

"This is an _extreme_ problem! WHY DON'T WE JUST ASK MASTER PAO PAO!?"

They turned to where Reborn was. Chrome saw the strange little man who always wore an elephant hat and no shirt. She cocked her head and wondered where he came from.

Hibari rolled his eyes.

"Tell him all you want," Master Pao Pao said.

"Just not the Mafia!" Tsuna put in quickly from his place behind the desk. He was in the middle of panicking. "No more mafia! Don't drag anyone else from Namimori into it!" _Even though I get the feeling he's going to somehow be pulled into it,_ Tsuna thought miserably.

"Hai, Boss," Chrome bowed.

_**-Flashback End-**_

"It's hard to believe," Keiji said with a frown. "But I have to, after what I've seen. So, you put illusions on those guys?" He asked.

Chrome nodded. "But I made it so you weren't affected by it."

Keiji winced when he remembered how they looked. "I appreciate it. I don't want to have any more nightmares. I already got a few from your brother."

Chrome was silent for a second. "He's not actually my brother. Thought I should clear that up…"

"Yeah. Okay. I just assumed he was, since…you know…the hair."

Then the bell rang and the room's volume raised several notches as more students filed in. They stopped by the door when they saw Keiji talking to Nagi.

"_I can't believe Keiji-kun's talking to that girl."_

"_Not fair! Why is she getting all the attention?"_

"_What the hell is the world coming to? The rich merging with the poor. Tch."_

Keiji shot the person an annoyed look. Chrome just ignored it, since the speaker obviously didn't know what he was saying and who he was talking about.

"Could you tell me more about the illusions and anything else during lunch?" He asked.

Chrome's heart swelled with the hope of a friend at school.

"Don't you have other friends to be with during lunch?" She asked cautiously. Keiji shrugged.

"Not really. I keep to myself. The others bore me."

Chrome nodded. "Alright then…I also need to ask you something too. How about the roof?"

"…Alright." He nodded and went to his seat.

She knew that no one went to the roof for lunch, since she went there most of the time herself. And she needed to know what those three men wanted. It seemed like it was something that's been going on for a long while.

As their teacher began his lecture, Keiji's mind wandered back to his main problem with the gang and the bomb. _It's going to be dangerous to test out a bomb. How are you supposed to test one out anyways?_ He wondered. _And if it doesn't work?_ He thought back to the last time he finished something late for them. They had beaten him up and left him in an alley. That was six months ago. He managed to patch himself up and get into his room without his parents seeing him. If they had, they would insist on calling the police, and that wasn't good. They warned him that if he did, worse would come to him.

And now Nagi wants to know. He sighed and rubbed his head.

...

Chrome grabbed her bag and bento and started for the door of their class when the bell rang. Keiji was doing the same but stopped when four girls surrounded Chrome.

Keiji groaned inwardly. He knew trouble when he saw it. He was debating whether to walk up to them and _do_ something as he leaned on his desk. Some people near him, who decided to eat lunch in the class, whispered about it.

"That girl doesn't stand a chance," the boy said with a bit of pity.

Keiji let out a laugh. "Why doesn't she?"

"There's no way she's going to defend herself. She's too quiet and weak. Those wide innocent eyes probably piss the girls off," he said.

Keiji raised his eyebrows and studied his new friend, Nagi. He _did_ notice that she looked too cute and innocent when he met her. "Do you think they might bully her because of jealousy?"

The boy looked startled. Then he stared hard at Chrome. "M…Maybe…I don't know. I'd rather not think about it."

Chrome continued standing as the four of them crowded around her. _I've faced scarier things than these girls,_ Chrome thought to herself. _I…I can do this._

"What is it?" she asked them.

"You don't deserve to hang around people who are better than you," their leader said. "So stay away from all of us."

Chrome blinked and tilted her head. Then, for some reason, the leader became irritated.

"Hey, you," Keiji said from behind the girls. He had narrowed eyes and a frown.

The girl stepped back in surprise. Keiji doesn't talk; that was common knowledge. He _would,_ if you started the conversation, but he never volunteered to start a conversation before.

"Stay out of this, Keiji-kun," the leader said and was starting to turn back to Chrome.

Keiji opened his mouth to talk but shut it when he saw Chrome's eyes.

"I'm sick of you bullying me," Chrome told the leader which surprised all of them including herself. Maybe staying around Gokudera rubbed some of his snappiness onto her. She wouldn't doubt it. "Stay away from _me,_ please," she said with a light glare which had them backing away.

_They're too shielded from society, if they flinch at that,_ Chrome thought. _It's not even a tenth of what Hibari-san could deliver._

"It won't go well for you if you continue to bother me," Chrome said coldly. Then feeling that she was going to drown from all the stares and from what she just did, she left the class hurriedly.

Keiji followed, looking at her in wonder.

_Where did all that energy come from?_ He thought. _She's usually so shy…and suddenly, she starts dishing out threats. Who on earth raised her to be like this? Better yet, who does she _live_ with?_

When they reached the roof, she sat down hard.

"That was…so unlike you," Keiji said slowly. "Who taught you to do that?"

Chrome blushed. "I-I-I'm sorry it happened," she said softy. "It, it just…happened."

Keiji shrugged and sat.

"Anyways, now that it's over, could I ask you about the illusion stuff? How does it work?"

Chrome kept her mind off the embarrassing show she just put up in class by telling him about illusions and how it's from within the person, and they could use them if they have the talent for it.

"Could…Could I ask you something?" Chrome said when she finished the explanation.

"Go ahead," Keiji said automatically and then regretted it. _Shoot…she's going to ask about…_

"What's going on with you and the gang?"

"Ehhhhhhhhhhh," Keiji let the word trail on, trying to delay the inevitable.

Chrome prodded him with the end of her trident, which she had taken out to let him examine.

"Okay, I'll tell you," he sighed. "It started about last year. I was mugged by a few of those people. Unluckily, I just finished a little gadget. It wasn't anything worth mentioning, but it did its job perfectly. The gang member sold it off for a pretty decent amount, and the boss wanted to earn more money using what I come up with.

"They found me again the following week and forced me to cooperate with them. I was to give them something once a month. It has to be different each time, and it has to be _perfect._"

"What have you made before?" Chrome asked.

"In general? Well, a lot of things," he said awkwardly and listed them out.

"Genius," she whispered.

"And—eh, excuse me?" Keiji's brows furrowed.

"A genius," she repeated quietly in awe. "You're a genius. A _genius._" _A bloody genius. I met a bloody genius,_ she thought.

Keiji blushed. "I-It's not like that…it's just a hobby."

Chrome shook her head. "You're a genius…"

Keiji laughed lightly. "Ahem, anyways," he dug in his brain for something to talk about other than him being a genius. "The project…we're almost done. We just need to put all the info on a bristle board or something.

"We can do that at my place," Chrome said. "There's enough room and Nana-san wants to see you."

"Nana-san?"

"Boss' mother," Chrome said quietly. "She wants to…meet all our friends…"

She looked up carefully and was glad Keiji didn't balk at her saying he was a friend.

"Sure, I can do that," Keiji said slowly. "Is your bro—are those guys going to be there too?"

Chrome blinked. Of course they were going to be there. She nodded. Was that a problem?

Keiji shrugged. "I can come over today if that's alright." _They won't _all _be like him, right?_

...

When the last bell of the day rang, Chrome waited for Keiji in the library to print out the information they needed. She looked at the time and estimated that they _should_ bump into each other if they left in a few minutes.

"We might see one of my other friends as we walk," Chrome warned. Keiji shrugged.

"Sure."

Hibari was leaving Nami-chuu after doing a final check of everything. It was fifteen minutes after the last bell rang, and he had bitten two herbivores to death for loitering on school property when they had no club meetings. He was walking on the street and paused at the private school the other mist herbivore went to. He sighed when he saw her come out the building just half a minute after he stopped. If she had been another thirty seconds late he would have had reason for a short battle to see if she had gotten stronger.

"Hibari-san," she greeted politely.

"Hn."

Keiji watched this Hibari Kyoya walk a few feet in front of them. He wore black dress pants with a white dress shirt and a long jacket. He tilted his head and read the red arm band. It claimed that the wearer was part of the Disciplinary Committee.

Suddenly, Hibari turned around to stare at him with narrowed eyes. Keiji froze in fear and turned his eyes to Chrome, who looked blankly at Hibari.

"If you bother me, I will bite you to death." Then Hibari turned and walked into the house. Keiji had to stop and look around.

"You live _here?"_ He asked, staring at the mansion. Sure, his house was about the same, but he hadn't expected the quiet Chrome whose assessories didn't shout out _money_ to actually come from a rich family.

"Yes…?" Chrome said in a questioning tone.

"Ch-Ch-Chrome…?" Tsuna stuttered from the doorway. He had a fresh black eye, which gave Keiji another shock. Tsuna didn't even look pained by the black eye which worried Keiji.

"Yes, Boss?" Chrome said and walked into the yard. Keiji followed slowly. He noticed that she didn't make a fuss of the injury either.

"D-Did H-Hibari-san actually," Tsuna said and gulped, "_walk_ you home?"

Chrome nodded. "He was just a step in front of us…"

Tsuna almost dropped the cup he was holding. "H-He…He…HE _CROWDED?"_

Chrome stared at her boss, not really understanding…and then she gasped. She and Tsuna shared a frightened look for a second before Tsuna broke the staring contest to look at Keiji.

"Welcome to the Sawada Residence," he said. Then someone jumped onto Tsuna's head.

"No, you mean 'welcome to the Vongola Residence'."

Keiji stared at the baby in a suit and a fedora.

"It's not Vongola's residence. This is my house," Tsuna exclaimed. "It's _Sawada!"_

"_Vongola,"_ Reborn rebutted.

"_SAWADA!"_

Keiji pointed a shaking finger at them and turned to Chrome. "Sh-Should I even ask?"

Chrome shook her head. "We'll go through a side entrance. It's better to be away before Reborn tortures Boss."

Keiji stared at her, wide eyed. "O-Okay…?"

"_Hiiiiiiiiiiiie!"_

Keiji jumped at the sound of that unearthly scream.

"What the heck was that?" He asked as he entered through the patio. Chrome paused and turned.

"That was Boss."

"B-Boss? That's Sawada, right? Was he…just now…?"

Chrome entered the kitchen and saw Nana.

"Nana-san—"

"Mm~ Chrome-chan, how many times have I asked you to call me kaa-san?" Nana said and waved a knife absentmindedly. Keiji backed away.

Chrome blushed. "Kaa-san, I'm home. I brought Keiji…"

"Ohh! Keiji-kun! Tsu-kun has told me about you," Nana said and turned to smile at Keiji.

Keiji was taken aback by the angelic smile he was treated to. His eyes flashed from the knife to the face.

"U-Um…thanks for letting me stay for a few hours…"

"Stay for dinner!" Nana insisted.

"A-Ah…" Keiji shot Chrome a look. Chrome gave him a short nod. "T-Thanks. Yeah, I think I'll stay…"

"Excellent! Now, go do your project," Nana said and continued humming as she chopped something up.

Chrome led him away to the living room, where they would be working.

...

That night when Keiji arrived at Shoichi's place, he was in a poor state of mind. Shoichi opened the door and stared.

"Uh…Keiji…?" He asked hesitantly. Keiji nodded. "What happened to you?"

"Went over to a friend's house to finish project," he mumbled. "Had dinner. Awesome food," he added as an afterthought. "She has scary housemates."

"O…kay…?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention that she lives with Sawada."

Shoichi gaped. "YOU WENT INTO THAT MAD HOUSE?! OMIGOD, GET IN." Shoichi rushed his cousin in. "Did you eat anything the pink haired woman gave you? Throw up if you did! Quick! Quick!"

"N…no, I don't…think so…?" Keiji said hesitantly. "I…feel fine. What's the fuss?"

"What's the—" Shoichi choked on his own words. "WHAT'S THE FUSS, HE ASKS. _WHAT HAPPENED?"_

"Well," Keiji said. "Nagi and I went to do our project…we finished it pretty fast. And then this kid dressed up in cow prints came over. Nagi did something to our poster—she hid it somewhere, and then the kid…uh. I think his name was Lambo. He pulled something out and said that I had to…play with him…I think…? Shoichi?" Keiji was staring at his cousin, who was hitting his head to the wall.

"Okay, then what happened? Are you injured?" Shoichi turned Keiji, who shrugged away.

"No, I'm fine. Then something happened and that white haired guy, Gokudera, came in, and then…I don't know. Things…just…blew up."

Shoichi fell on a chair, ready to faint. "Finally…"

"What?"

"Someone who doesn't say they are fire crackers! Last time I had to go there, okaa-san sent me, and she thought they were fireworks!"

"Oh…well, I can assure you, they weren't fireworks," Keiji mumbled, still dazed from his visit. "A-And then things started to get hectic, and Sawada began running around in his boxers…? I'm not too sure anymore…then Nagi brought me upstairs where it wasn't so crazy, and we technically hid until it was dinner…and then the guy named Mukuro kept on glaring at me, and…what else…right…I was sitting beside the boxer dude, and I still can't really hear out of my left ear…" Keiji said and rubbed said ear.

Shoichi groaned. "I feel sorry for you."

"Hm," Keiji said. "But it wasn't too bad. I found some interesting inventions there."

Shoichi gave Keiji a look that asked if he was crazy.

"Time for bed," Keiji yawned. "Do you want to take the shower first, or me?"

"Y…You go ahead," Shoichi said faintly. "I think I need to lie down for a moment…"

Keiji shrugged. "Suit yourself…"

...

Tsuna was lying on the couch, thinking of what Chrome told him about Keiji.

"So, if he's always inventing things, doesn't that mean he's like Giannini?" he asked himself.

"That's exactly right," Reborn said from the arm of the couch. He was sipping his espresso. "And he seems to be doing better than Giannini."

"At least his things don't go hay wire," Tsuna commented and looked up at the ceiling.

"You should fire Giannini and hire Keiji instead," Reborn said, still in a conversational tone.

"Hm. Maybe," Tsuna replied. Then he blinked a few times. He said, "EEEEEEEEEEEEH? No! I didn't mean that!" He sat up and stared at Reborn. "How did you make me say that?"

Reborn smirked. "I'm the greatest hitman in the world."

"Jeez," Tsuna said and scowled. He lay back on the couch. "I feel a bit worried for him, Reborn."

"It's not your problem. It's Chrome's."

"Yeah, but," Tsuna said and frowned. "Aaagghh…too much to worry about…"

"Boss?" Chrome stood by the doorway to the living room, which was cleaned. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

"Ah, Chrome."

She walked in and sat on the other couch. Tsuna sat up and crossed his legs. "Is there something you need?"

She hesitated for a second. Tsuna cocked his head, thinking that he knew what was coming.

"Keiji says that they're trying to make him create a bomb."

Tsuna shot off the couch. "A _BOMB?!"_

Running footsteps came to their attention. "Juudaime! What's this about a bomb? We have to get out of here. It might go off. I'll protect you, Juudaime," Gokudera shouted as he ran into the room. He grabbed onto Tsuna's wrist and began dragging him.

"Calm down, Gokudera," Reborn said. "There's no bomb in here."

Gokudera stopped and looked at Tsuna who nodded sheepishly. "Sorry for the outburst, Gokudera-kun."

"What happened?" Yamamoto came in after hearing Gokudera's screams.

"Nothing," Tsuna sighed. He looked at Chrome. "Are you sure that's what they said?"

"I'm sure," Chrome said.

"Reborn, what do we do?!" Tsuna asked in a panicked tone. Reborn's fedora was pulled down to hide his frown.

"First, get a hold of yourself and stop acting like the idiot you are."

Her boss shut up.

"They're probably planning on selling it in the black market. We can't do anything about it, since it's just business. But after seeing what Keiji could do, that bomb could be very dangerous."

Yamamoto and Gokudera turned serious.

"They might even try to eliminate him because of what he knows about them. The hideout, faces, plans."

"We can't let that happen!" Tsuna cried out.

Reborn shot him a glare but Tsuna wasn't finished. "They're not going to stop after this, even if they don't…don't kill him!"

Chrome stood. She looked at them all and took in a deep breath. "Keiji told me that he's always been beat up one way or another each time they meet, even if he didn't do anything wrong. The last time they spoke to him about the bomb, I was there to help, but they would have given him a beating otherwise," she said. "Boss, I want to help him."

Tsuna nodded. "Me too."

Reborn's glare turned into a smirk. "Then let's start planning, Tsuna…Chrome."

"We're with you," Gokudera said. Tsuna was startled. Without knowing, the rest of his Guardians came in as well. They were standing behind Gokudera.

They all turned to Reborn and gave him a firm, determined nod.

...

Two days later, Keiji was in the guest room of Shoichi's apartment, cleaning up the bomb. It was about the size of a radio and looked nothing like a bomb.

"Done," he breathed out. Then Shoichi burst into his room, slamming the door against the wall. Keiji yelped and covered the bomb and then seeing what he was doing he yelped again and flung himself as far away from it as possible.

"Oh, Kami-sama save me…Shoichi, what the hell!" Keiji was watching Shoichi with wide, panicked eyes, which shifted back to the bomb once every few seconds. "Don't just slam the door like that! I might have been in the middle of making the bomb!"

Shoichi jumped. _"What?"_ He looked around. Shoichi wouldn't put it past Keiji to make a bomb in the middle of his apartment.

"Never mind," Keiji said quickly. "What is it?"

"Oh. Okaa-san just says that we're having dinner an hour later."

"Right. Thanks for telling me."

Shoichi nodded uncomfortably and closed the door, significantly quieter.

Keiji flopped onto his bed and sighed. It wasn't good that he panicked like that. Not good at all.

He looked at his alarm clock. He was supposed to meet them at their hideout in half an hour.

_Seems like I haven't had time to be bored of my life for the past few days,_ Keiji thought. Ever since Nagi transferred into their school, there hadn't been a dull moment. Speaking of her, she seemed a bit distracted for the past two days. He wondered why. But now, he was freaked out and really didn't want to go to the meeting place, but at the same time, it always brought on a healthy dose of excitement. Plus, he got about thirthy thousand yen each time he gave something over. He snorted over that. What he creates is probably worth twice that much.

He took in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, time to go." He picked up the bomb by its handle and opened his door.

"Sachi, I'm going to be out for a bit," he said, since he couldn't find his aunt anywhere.

"Yeah, okay," she replied and changed the channel.

...

"Target is exiting building," Gokudera said.

"_Haha! This is fun!"_ Yamamoto laughed from wherever he was stationed.

"_Kufufu. He'll lead us straight to their hideout. This is interesting."_

"Oi," Gokudera said, a nerve twitching. "Did any one of you even hear me!?" He demanded. Yamamoto and Mukuro laughed.

"_Of course we did. Over,"_ Yamamoto added.

They heard Hibari growl. _"Shut up,"_ he said. _"Or I'll bite you to death instead."_

Tsuna almost yelped before remembering that Hibari was nearest to where they thought where the hideout would be and that was a good distance away from where he is.

Tsuna calmed down and said to Gokudera who was beside him, "It'll go fine, Gokudera-kun. Don't panic."

"Hai!"

"_He's turned the corner to the _extreme," Ryohei whispered, which is just as loud as normal speech.

Tsuna and Gokudera stayed where they were for another minute, since Keiji would see them if they moved from their cover.

Chrome and Mukuro walked around freely, since they could either disguise themselves or simply disappear.

"What now, Juudaime?"

"Hiie! You're asking _me?" _Tsuna asked.

"You're the boss, Juudaime," Gokudera replied cheerfully. Tsuna groaned.

"This was Chrome's idea…she should be in charge."

Chrome's voice came through Tsuna's headset. _"Boss, you're our leader, so you should be in charge."_

"And you need more leading experience," Reborn added with a smirk.

"W-Well, where is he now?" Tsuna asked. Mukuro told him. Then he gulped and looked at Reborn. "Then…um…" Reborn's eyes narrowed and reached for Leon who was beginning to transform. Tsuna let out a shout and said quickly, "Onii-san, please continue to follow him! Mukuro, could you go two blocks in front of t-target…?" Tsuna finished the orders with a very questionable tone as he watched Reborn.

"_Alright,"_ Mukuro agreed with a chuckle.

"_YOSH!"_

Tsuna sighed when Reborn replaced Leon on his fedora. He turned to Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun, could you continue following at this distance please?"

"Hai, Juudaime!" Tsuna nodded and closed his eyes. A flame came to life on his forehead. When he reopened his eyes, they were a bright orange. His mittens had turned into gloves, and he nodded once more to Gokudera and Reborn before lighting the gloves. He flew and landed on the roof of the building. From there, he could see clearly where all his Guardians were hiding, even if he didn't see their person.

He ran the length of the roof and jumped to the next one.

...

Chrome was a few metres behind Keiji, invisible to all eyes except her own and Mukuro's.

"He's holding a tool box."

"_Kufufufu. That must be the bomb in disguise."_

"_Why can't we just steal it now?" _Ryohei asked.

"_No. The yakuza will think he didn't keep his part of the deal if we do,_" Tsuna replied. He, too, was watching Keiji cross the shops.

Chrome's eye narrowed as he went into the underground shopping district. "It couldn't be down there, could it?"

They heard Hibari growl. _"I see the herbivores where I am. They aren't where you are."_

"_Any reason why he's going down there?"_ Yamamoto asked.

"_To lose any tails,"_ Gokudera said a matter of factly.

"_How would he know he's being _extremely_ followed?"_

"_Tch! I'm not him, so how would I know!?"_

"…_I don't think he knows that he's being followed,"_ Tsuna said. _"Maybe he just does this all the time."_

Reborn said, _"You have no way of knowing. What are you going to do now, Tsuna?"_

Tsuna heard the slight hint of a challenge. _"Chrome, could you follow him—visibly? Pretend to just bump into him there."_

_"_Hai." She stepped into an alley and made herself visible. She became Nanami Nagi and stepped back into the open. She walked a bit faster to catch up to Keiji.

They waited outside.

"_Tsuna,"_ Reborn said.

"_What is it?"_

"_You should send some Guardians after her. A little at a time."_

Tsuna nodded to himself. _Why do I get the feeling that my training's going to double because of that?_ He asked himself.

Yamamoto went in minutes after Chrome did, and Gokudera went to find another entrance, preferably ahead of where Keiji was walking. Ryohei went to wait at the other end. Tsuna and the others stayed where they were.

Inside, Chrome touched Keiji's elbow. She jumped when he jumped. He looked around frantically.

"O-Oh! Nagi…" He looked relieved, and then alert. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

Chrome blinked. "Shopping."

"Ah…silly me. Of course. It's a shopping district," he said with a laugh.

"What about you?" Chrome asked. "Are you shopping or just passing through?"

"I'm just passing through…"

Chrome nodded. They stood in the middle of the walk way for a minute. She saw that Keiji began to sweat. Maybe he was in a rush. "Can I walk with you?" She asked instead. That way, they could walk together and get on their way.

Keiji was surprised. "Don't you need to shop?" _I was counting on her staying to buy her stuff..._

Chrome pointed to the clothes she was dressed in, which Kyoko and Haru gave her as her birthday present some time ago. She hadn't worn them until today.

"Oh." Keiji stared at her. "They look nice." _That's…all she bought?_ He sweat dropped.

Chrome smiled slightly.

Keiji shrugged and began walking again.

"What are you holding?"

"Um. Tool box." _Oh damn. I'm holding a bomb and there are hundreds of people around me,_ he began to panic. _Bad idea. Bad idea. Baka Keiji! Wait, hang on…I didn't press anything, and it's safe if I drop it. The only way to activate it would be with the control, after unlocking it, or manually setting the timer and confirming. I'm fine. We're safe. Very safe._

"Keiji?"

"Huh?" He snapped back to the present. He looked at Chrome and where they were. They had reached the end of the underground shopping district.

"Where are you going after this?" She asked. "Do you want me to help with anything?"

"No," he said quickly. Chrome paused. Then she hesitantly opened her mouth.

"_Chrome,"_ Tsuna said through her earpiece. _"Don't tell him about it."_

_Hai,_ she thought in her head and saddened. Poor Keiji. He was going to be in the middle of it, not knowing what was happening.

"_Haha! Good thing he doesn't know about our choice of weapons. Otherwise he might guess it."_

"_He's seen Gokudera's dynamite!"_ Ryohei said.

"_No he didn't!"_ Gokudera scowled. _"When did he?"_

"_He came over one day right?"_

"_Those were Lambo's grenades, not dynamite! Anyways, he's seen Chrome's trident,"_ Gokudera said to Yamamoto. _"Which means she and Mukuro have to stay out of the fighting."_

"_Who are you to order me around?"_ Mukuro asked coldly.

Chrome sighed inwardly and thought of what to do next. Keiji was obviously trying to leave. She guessed that it was time that she left him to do what he wanted.

"I'm going home," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Keiji."

"Yeah, bye," he said. They walked off in their own directions. Chrome went slowly while Keiji was almost running.

"_You can still fight with your illusions,"_ Tsuna said, cutting off the argument. "_So stop fighting with each other, everyone."_

"Boss, Keiji is getting away," Chrome said, disappearing into the mist to retraced her steps.

"_Don't worry. I see him!"_ Ryohei said excitedly. _"He's heading to your direction, Yamamoto!"_

"_Roger, senpai."_

"_It's going well,"_ Reborn said. _"Now let's see how you finish it."_

Tsuna flew higher. To avoid a spectacle, Chrome placed a light illusion on him which would confuse anyone looking at him from the ground.

Tsuna observed the route Keiji was heading for and looked further. He frowned.

"_Hibari-san,"_ Tsuna said.

Hibari sat up. "What?"

"_The target's not heading to you. He's going to another place, east…about fifteen minutes from where you are if you're going to run it."_

"Don't underestimate me, herbivore," Hibari said. He came out in the open with his tonfa bearing its teeth. If they weren't going to steal from the yakuza hole where _he_ was at the moment, then… "I can get there in five."

"_Hibari-san, what are you doing?"_

"Hn. You owe me for making me stake out here for nothing. You're paying a bigger price when we get home. For now…" He ran at the warehouse with a smirk on his face. Hibird left his shoulder.

Tsuna realised what he was doing. _"Hibari-san, you really shouldn't…"_ He sighed and gave up on trying to convince the Cloud from straying.

Chrome smiled gently as she continued to watch Keiji. "He's starting to run, Boss."

"_Hibari-san…" _she heard her boss' annoyed tone. She also heard screaming and grunts and whacking from her end of the line.

"Boss, is he going to get there in time?" Chrome asked.

Yamamoto offered, _"I could go there instead."_

"_Hn. _Please_. Don't insult me," _Hibari said. Things were dead quiet on his end. Tsuna blinked calmly as Hibari sprinted to the next possible hideout.

"_You have four minutes, Hibari-san,"_ he said.

"He's slowed down," Chrome reported.

"_Onii-san, take the right side. I'll be on the roof. Gokudera-kun, you're coming from behind."_

They've already reviewed this before—Reborn would know why if they didn't—but it was procedure to repeat it to make sure there were no mess-ups.

"_Roger!"  
><em>

They got ready. Chrome and Mukuro had the advantage to be closer to Keiji than any of them.

"I'm here," Keiji called out and put the bomb down.

The abandoned shop's doors opened. "About time," someone said in a growl.

Five men came out. After another minute, ten more came. Among them was the leader.

Tsuna's eyes widened a fraction. Gokudera swore.

"_I thought we got rid of them,"_ Tsuna said. Chrome cocked her head.

"Boss, do you know them?"

"_Ah. The Momokyokai. I thought we got rid of them during my first year of middle school—me, Yamamoto, Dino-san, and Gokudera-kun."_ Tsuna spotted Hibari from the corner of his eye. So Hibari managed to come in time. He was probably making his way into the building right now, biting anyone left behind to death quietly. _Hibari-san's going to be disappointed,_ Tsuna thought, remembering how easy it was to dispatch the Momokyokai.

"_It looks like they're living better,"_ Gokudera observed.

"_Not for long,"_ Yamamoto said and laughed.

Tsuna focused his attention on what was happening in the front.

"Bring it here," the leader said and pointed to a spot of the ground a metre away from him.

Keiji nodded nervously and walked. He held the remote in one hand and the bomb in the other. He put the bomb down, and the remote on top.

"_Mukuro. Are you ready?"_

"_Kufufufu. Any time. Nagi?"_

"I'm ready," she said. Her feet were planted and had her trident ready.

Tsuna took in a deep breath and surveyed the Momokyokai men. _"Hibari-san?"_

"_Finished."_

Tsuna nodded. _"Alright." _He waited another beat. _"Now."_

Mukuro's illusion changed what the Guardians and their Boss wore including hair style and faces.

All of them launched themselves onto the yakuza gang. Tsuna landed right beside the bomb. He pocketed the remote and held the bomb in another hand. In a flash, he was beside Keiji, who was trying to look everywhere at once. Tsuna dimly registered that his Guardians' faces were perfectly disguised and so were their build and voice. He could recognise them no matter what form they took, but the yakuza wouldn't have a chance to recognise them. Trusting Mukuro's illusion to hold, he grabbed Keiji's waist and with him, zoomed to another place. A building blocked them from the fight. Tsuna let go of him and watched his reaction.

Keiji panicked when chaos erupted right in front of him. Something flew from the building's roof and onto the bomb. That was all he saw before he was swept off his feet. When he blinked again, he was face to face with a stranger who was just a bit taller than him. He thought of tackling the man but the man's eyes stopped him. They were comforting eyes, but at the same time sending out a warning to him. _I'm stronger than you. You have no chance of running. But I don't intend to harm you,_ they were saying.

"What do you want?" Keiji asked in a shaky voice.

Tsuna raised the bomb in his right hand. All colour left Keiji's face as he watched the bomb.

"What makes it explode?" The stranger demanded sharply.

Keiji stuttered and told him what he put in it. The stranger thought for a moment.

From his tutoring with Reborn, he had a wide knowledge of chemistry and was following Keiji reasonably well. There were some parts that seemed puzzling but he got the drift of it easily. It wasn't flammable. It wouldn't explode in contact with fire.

He nodded and lit his flames. The bomb was immediately disintegrated and melted until nothing was left except for a small pool of hot metal. Tsuna took out the remote and crushed it. Then Keiji watched with his own eyes as both objects disappeared. _Gone._

He slowly lifted his head to the stranger but saw that he was gone too. Keiji looked up, left, and right. He heard fighting and stepped out from the hiding place, not giving the bomb another thought.

He saw the yakuza clearly and the other group of people, whom he assumed was also yakuza since one of them fought with a katana. Someone else fought with dynamite and tonfa, one used his fists.

Gokudera choked the leader of the group and stared into his eyes. Gokudera's eyes were as fierce as a hurricane.

"Listen here," he said.

"Wh-What?" The leader was shuddering beneath Gokudera. Gokudera looked at him in disgust.

"You don't mess with us. We take the bomb. And the boy: you don't touch the boy again unless you want to deal with us again. I'll give you a warning right now." Gokudera hooked the leader's shirt to the pole behind him, and made sure he wouldn't be moving any time soon. Then lit two dynamite sticks and dropped them at the leader's feet.

"If you try to get in touch with him…or even walk on the same street, _we will know._"

Mukuro had a sly smile as he added some effect to Gokudera's voice and a horrid background, just for the fun of it. Gokudera glanced at him and back to the leader. "If you don't stay away from kids, you will get more than burnt feet."

Gokudera let go and leaped back as the dynamite exploded. "Tch." He would live to feel the pain. Every time he put too much weight on his feet, he would remember this little chat and the warning that came with it.

"You didn't need to do that," Gokudera said to Mukuro. "I didn't need your help."

"Kufufufufufu. You have to let me have _some_ fun," he said cheerfully. Gokudera rolled his eyes and smirked.

Chrome swiftly defeated three of the men and helped Ryohei take down an extra large one.

"_EXTREME THANKS,"_ Ryohei shouted. Chrome nodded and stepped back to survey the fight. Carefully, she put out little illusions here and there to help the other Guardians. She also put another illusion over all of them so Keiji wouldn't think anything was suspicious of the fight.

Soon, the fight was finished. She looked at her watch. Only ten minutes passed.

Tsuna landed in the middle of the mess and looked over everyone—Guardians and enemies. Satisfied that they were all breathing, he waved the signal to leave. The signal was instantly recognised and they all left the scene, either melting into shadows and into smaller alleys or just walking away, like Hibari. Mukuro and Chrome transported themselves away. They left behind an ugly message for future yakuza in Namimori.

Keiji realised that he should leave as well.

All the way back, he replayed the fight. And that stranger with the flaming hands. The way how he just appeared reminded him of someone he couldn't place.

Without noticing her, Chrome had followed him to make sure he got home safe. He went into the apartment building. Nodding to herself, she said into the earpiece, "Boss, he's home. I'm coming back."

"_Okay. Thanks, Chrome!"_

Keiji knocked lightly on the door to Shoichi's apartment. _Those weapons were pretty strange,_ he thought. _You don't see people fighting with them often. Fists, those are often. But the other things were just weird._

Keiji frowned as the door swung open. Shoichi stared at Keiji. For the third time since Keiji stayed with them, he came back in a mess and a daze. Shoichi sighed.

"Did you bump into the Sawada group again? They seem to leave that dazed effect on you."

Keiji's mind was clouded but he heard what Shoichi said at the back of his mind. He looked up and blinked. Five seconds later, he recalled what his cousin asked. _Did you bump into the Sawada group again?_

"The…Sawada group…" Keiji said and blinked a few times. His eyes widened as realisation dawned on him.

His legs buckled and he gripped the door for support. He stared at Shoichi with a very surprised look on his face.

"O-Oi! Keiji! Are you alright?" Shoichi asked. Keiji shook his head without speaking. He brushed off Shoichi's hand and walked in slowly.

...

The next day in school, Keiji stared at Chrome like a hawk. He also had a confused frown on his face.

After the first three periods, Chrome couldn't take it. At lunch break, she walked over to Keiji's desk. She stood there for a moment before asking as politely as she could, "What?"

Keiji looked up, still staring. "What what?"

"You're staring," she stated.

"I'm staring?" Keiji blinked and then blushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just..."

Chrome tilted her head innocently.

"There!" Keiji said and stood up. Chrome took a step back.

"What?" She said.

"That innocent look of yours," he explained. Chrome blinked.

"Inn..ocent?" She stared at him uncomprehending. "But I'm always like this." If he was accusing her for acting innocent, he would be right whenever he bluffed because she was just acting how she always did.

"You know something about yesterday."

"Yesterday?" She said. "I was with you in the underground shopping district."

"Yeah, but after that. You know what happened," he insisted.

Chrome looked around them and saw that they were getting some curious looks.

They began to treat Chrome a bit better after she stood up for herself against the girls, so the looks were nothing but curiosity.

She turned back to Keiji. "Maybe, maybe not. But I don't," she said.

Keiji scratched his head and sat back down. "But I'm sure you do…"

"Why are you so sure?" Chrome asked. She was genuinely curious.

Keiji reached under his shirt and brought out a necklace. Hanging from the chain was a flat surface with an engraved flame. It was the size and shape of a coin but flatter. It had the slight colour of copper.

"Why is there a flame?" She asked quietly.

Keiji scowled and then his face gentled. "Yesterday my invention was burned to a crisp. No…not even that. Nothing was left of it. It was burned by fire. I thought I'd etch it on."

Chrome flipped it. Behind it was the initials KH. Chrome stared at it and started to smile. It looked like it could stand for Home tutor Hitman Reborn. Reborn would like that.

"What does it do?" She asked.

"It's a truth tester," he said. "It warms up if the truth is being told and it cools down when someone tells a falsehood. I also put a tracker in it and everything. No way am I losing this prototype. It's my first major breakthrough."

Chrome's insides went cold. Her face and mind blanked.

"This…this tells the…?" She stuttered. Her mind was racing. "How long does it take to make one of these?"

Keiji was surprised by the sudden change of the topic. He was irritated that she would try that, but he answered her. "Not long. Once I have the things, it takes an hour at most. But about yesterday—"

"Does it break easily? Can it be detected by sensors?"

Keiji's brow twitched. "No, it doesn't break. It's waterproof, _bomb_proof, and whatever-proof. I'm pissed off at the guy who burned my invention, even if it wasn't a good one. I made sure it can't be burned by fire."

_The Dying Will Flame will always burn,_ Chrome thought while keeping her face blank of all emotion.

"And metal detectors?" She asked, trying to keep calm.

"Of course detectors can find it," Keiji said. "It's made of metal. Although I guess that's not good if a lot of truth is being told, since it would heat up too much. No—I don't think it would since I put a maximum to the temperature. It won't burn skin."

"It can't be helped," Chrome murmured. _Detected by sensors. We can find a way to change that in the future._

"What? And anyways, Nagi! Tell me, what happened yesterday? There was…"

Chrome wasn't really listening anymore. She was staring into Keiji's eyes with her own. She fisted the metal truth detector in her hand. Why hadn't she thought of it that way before? Was it because she didn't think that he could create a powerful destructive bomb?

Keiji paused when he saw her fist tighten. Then at the intense look in her eyes.

"…Nagi?"

_What a dangerous enemy,_ Chrome thought as she stared at Keiji. _Or, a very powerful ally._

...

It was a hot summer that year. Hagiwara Keiji had graduated from middle school two weeks before. He was laying on his bed in a tee and shorts.

"The Vongola, huh?" he said aloud, testing the words on his lips. The day after their graduation, Nagi had brought him to see Sawada and the others.

The baby had explained who they were. The Mafia...it didn't sound like a joke at all. At first he was horrified, but after calming down and listening to Sawada, he asked for time to think. He was still thinking a few days ago, and then he had come up with an answer. But then Sawada and his friends had all disappeared off the face of the earth. Nagi was gone as well.

"Just when I have an answer for them, they're gone," he sighed. He wondered how he was convinced by them in the first place. At the mention of another organized crime entering his life, he would have packed and moved to somewhere else immediately. But Reborn forced Sawada to talk. And talk he did.

_He managed to convince me,_ Keiji thought. _I can't believe he did that. But I'm not backing out now,_ he thought.

"Keiji, go outside. It's too hot to stay in your room!" His mother shouted up the stairs.

"Haaai!"

He sat up and decided to give Shoichi a visit. The last time he visited, Shoichi was looking very pale and frightened, always mumbling about blackmail or something.

_At least he started to take an interest in his studies instead of burning all his books,_ Keiji thought grimly.

He knocked on their door. Sachi opened it and beamed at him.

"Hey, fancy seeing you here!"

"Yo, Sachi. Is Shoichi in?"

"In his room." She widened the door. "He's messing with some kind of mechanic thing. I don't know whether I should thank you or to hate you. He's been nagging at okaa-san to buy him a second laptop and he's been stuck in his room for days. _Days._"

Keiji grinned. "You should thank me."

"_Ri-i-ight."_

Keiji knocked on Shoichi's door and let himself in.

"How ya doin'?"

"Hm! I'm doing fine!" Shoichi said.

"I can't believe that I actually convinced you into this," Keiji said with a laugh.

"Me neither," Shoichi said cheerfully.

"Hey, I wanna tell you something."

"Yeah? What's that?" Shoichi asked, slightly distracted.

"It has to do with Sawada and them." Keiji sat on the floor next to Shoichi.

"Oh?"

"Hm. You have to promise me that you won't tell a soul."

"Sure, okay," Shoichi said easily. "What is it?"

"Well," Keiji said and sat. "They're kind of in the mafia."

Shoichi blinked. "What?"

"Mafia. Italian mob. They're in the mafia. And they asked me to join them. As a mechanic."

"You're...joking," Shoichi said. "No, scratch that. You don't joke with these things. You're serious?"

Keiji nodded. "I'm thinking of joining."

Shoichi gaped at him and was starting to stand up when the earthquake hit.

"Oh my god," Shoichi shouted and knelt. Even as he did that, it stopped.

"Hey…Shoichi?" Keiji knelt beside his cousin, who was kneeling, clutching his head.

He was very still. "Oh…my…god…what…holy cow…shoooooot…Uni…everyone…wow…"

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Keiji frowned. Shoichi sat up and had a dazed expression on his face. He held up a hand to stop Keiji's questions. He was looking into a faraway place.

"Memories…I'm…getting my memories. Shut up for a second." Shoichi closed his eyes.

Keiji opened his mouth and closed it again. He did this a few times and stopped after thinking that he was acting stupid. _Memories? Did he get hit in the head?_

After five minutes, Shoichi turned his head to Keiji with a very surprised look on his face.

"The Vongola...I'm…in the Vongola ten years in the future."

Keiji blinked. _"What?"_

"I'm…in the Vongola ten years into the future…and oh my god…I was so deep into the plan…_daaaaang_…AH!" He stood. "Spanner!"

"Span…ner? What's…Spanner? Some kind of drink?"

Shoichi lunged into the mound on his bed and dug out his laptop. "Spanner! I met him during a robotics competition in university! We have this code thing we use to communicate from anywhere in the world!"

He resurfaced and turned on his computer, tapping it impatiently. "I can't believe I'm in on this."

"Wait. I'm confused. Ten years in the future?"

"Hm. Ah—you were in there too, but you were doing something else, somewhere else. You didn't really show up since you were on the very top of Black Spell's killing list. You were hidden so well we thought you were killed until you sent out that signal. Man, you were slick. Maybe that's why you didn't get the memories. You weren't really involved."

"_Excuse me?"_

"Ah! There he is. Oh. He got his memories too! Hm. Sawada and the others are back."

Keiji frowned and stood up.

"I'll get more answers out of a pig than I can from you."

He left the room with every intention of going to Sawada's home and demanding for an explanation, although he half guessed what happened if he left out the impossible fact of traveling to the future.

"So I really _did_ stick to my plan and say yes to them," he said aloud.

**THE END**

* * *

><p>I personally like Chrome with her hair down. She looks very cute like that! I just had to have some moments when she did… xD I'm sorry if you found any grammar or spelling errors. I tried to fix them all. Thank you for reading!<p>

I'd have to say…despite what you might think of this chapter, it's way better than what I had before.

**To RawR: **No, Reborn wouldn't have planned all of that xD After all, these oneshots have no connection to one another. That is an interesting nickname you gave Hibari. Let's hope he doesn't find out… (gulps)

**To skycrystal:** Thank you! That compliment means a lot! Hmm… I probably won't make another one for Tsuna… O.o

**To Guest from 2014-07-05th: **I'm glad that you like this one the best! :D It's one of my favourites.

_**-LLM**_

_**Edited 2013-08-25th**_


	7. Vongola Lightning Guardian

**Vendetta with the Candy Destroyer!**

_ONESHOT_

_..._

**REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT _CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Time: **Arcobaleno are adults. Tsuna's twenty two years old and Lambo's thirteen.

**Summary:** As we know, Lambo is in love with candy. So, what's better than to have a friend who owns a candy shop? Yamanashi Aki and her grandfather own such a shop, but old enemies are trashing it. What's a boy to do when he sees his beloved haven being destroyed? Never fear, Lambo's here!

*Note: Aki's grandfather is known as Yamanashi in the story.

* * *

><p>"Oji-chan, what are you doing up so early?" Yamanashi Aki yawned and rubbed her eyes as she leaned against the door frame at the far side of their shop. Her soft, short, black and red hair was sticking out at odd angles and it grew even more uneven as she tried to fix it.<p>

Her grandfather was standing by the front window of the candy shop they owned.

Aki sighed and walked up to him when he didn't answer. She looked down the street.

"Another day of wondering, Aki-chan. When will they hit: morning, afternoon, evening, night?"

"I don't know, oji-chan," she said sadly.

For as long as she could remember, Goro and his gang had been making her grandfather's life a living hell. And every time they came for a _visit,_ there was nothing they could do.

She didn't particularly hold any deep, dark hatred towards him, but she understood why her grandfather did. Many years ago, when her great-grandfather had the shop open a few blocks away, Goro had caused a lot of trouble. He was just a kid then, but he was just as bad as he is now.

Aki sighed, neatened up the shop and gave her grandfather a cup of green tea.

"Don't be so mad, oji-chan," she said in a soothing voice.

"I'll get him one day," Yamanashi said viciously. "I don't care if I break every single bone in my body! I will do it! I will make him pay for _everything_ he did…and if I see anyone who is even slightly related to him…"

Aki almost shrank back when she saw the fire in his eyes.

"The shop was there for sixty years…and it went up in smoke…all because of that brat!"

One night, Goro and his friends had lit a fire in front of the shop _with_ her great-grandfather and great-grandmother in it. According to the bitter story her grandfather told her from time to time, he was in there as well, sleeping in their rooms on the second floor. They only realised that the shop was on fire when the flames were half way across the main floor. They barely escaped with their lives.

Yamanashi glanced at the clock. "You should get ready for school. I suppose you'd like me to make you breakfast?"

Aki opened her mouth before she could think of what she was saying. "_No, _I'd like to make it myself so I could spend more time cooking than getting ready, and as a result, I'll be very late for my first day of school," she said sarcastically.

"Don't use that sarcastic tone with me," Yamanashi scolded and rapped his knuckles against her head.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to. It just came out."

Yamanashi sighed and shook his head. "Just go, you little sarcastic, annoying girl.

Aki smiled slightly and darted up the steps to her room. After donning the beige blazer and the skirt she was required to wear, she looked at herself in front of the bathroom mirror.

_This uniform looks much more cheerful than the one I had before,_ she thought with a smile and went downstairs.

After having a wonderfully cooked omelette for breakfast, she picked up her bag and was beginning to head out.

"Aki," Yamanashi said.

She paused by the door. "Yes?"

"Your bento."

Aki blinked. "Oh!" She rushed back to where her grandfather was standing to retrieve her lunch. Then miraculously, she tripped over the step and fell flat on her face.

"Oh dear," he sighed and helped her up. "You are the clumsiest person I know."

"You don't think?" She rubbed her chin and moved her jaw to make sure nothing had fallen off.

Then they heard hooting outside. Their heads snapped up. Although the laughter was still at a distance, they recognised it immediately.

"What—?" Aki was starting to say.

"No. Don't say a word," Yamanshi said coldly. He straightened and brought out a broom. She gulped. Not because he was about to go face to face with Goro with just a broom, but because that certain broom's handle was solid metal.

"Are you sure you want to do that, oji-chan?"

"Quiet," he ordered and opened the door.

"Oh! It's Yamanashi-san today!" She heard a deep and mocking voice cry out. She looked out the window and saw the lanky looking man who had dark brown hair. His face was terrible and nothing to be proud of, with a nose that had been broken twice and a horrid burn mark across the left side of his cheek which went down to his shoulder.

"If you know what's best for you, you will leave this premise _now."_

"Ooh! I'm so scared!" He said and shrank back with a sneer on his face. "Yeah right, old man! C'mon, let us in."

Yamanashi growled. "Not on your life."

"Well then. Boys," Goro said and his two companions came out of the alley next to the shop. "I think we should let ourselves in again, hm?"

They snickered and grinned widely. "Yeah!"

And so they slowly made their way to the door. Yamanashi swung the broom and hit Goro across the shoulder, knocking him down.

Aki yelped in surprise at the strength her grandfather had reserved for this moment. "Oji-chan!"

Goro grunted.

"Hey, Goro, are you alright?" His friends asked.

"I'm perfectly fine! I can't believe that old man swung that at me! We need to trash his place _severely_ since he seems to have forgotten the previous lesson!"

They came in forcefully, with the two friends of Goro shoving Yamanashi out of the way.

"Oji-chan—ah!" She ducked as one of them tossed a jar of gummy bears onto the wall. Shards of glass flew everywhere.

Aki raised an arm to protect her face and felt a few pieces hit her sleeve. _I can't fight at all,_ she thought. _I'll just get in the way. I'll hide behind the counter. _

The other two were in the process of destroying the shop, spilling, eating, and ruining good candy. If her grandfather worked hard enough, he could clean the mess up and replace the stock in a day.

Then she heard a roar from Yamanashi and a yelp from two different voices.

"Get out of my shop!" He hit them again, once over their behind and twice across the back.

"You'll regret this," Goro shouted as he ran out.

"Get out! _Out!"_ Yamanashi was still breathing heavily when they were gone from view.

"You know that they'll come back and trash the place even more because of that!" Aki shouted nervously.

"Oh, you reckon?" Yamanashi snapped back angrily.

"_Now_ who's sarcastic?" Aki said in a mutter.

...

"Come _on, _Lambo. Don't make me drag you there," Tsuna said with his hands on his hips, looking down to Lambo.

"I don't want to go!"

"Why _not? _You're the one who said private tutoring is boring and you wanted to go to a public school."

"But I don't want to go today!"

"_Lambo!"_ Tsuna said exasperatedly.

"_Tsuna!"_ Lambo copied.

Tsuna scratched the back of his ever so fluffy brown hair and said, "I took today off so I could go with you to school. I'm going to have to catch up on my work afterwards. Who knows what Reborn's going to do to me if I don't finish it?"

Lambo was beginning to feel slightly guilty but he didn't show it. "Then just go back to work."

"There's no way I'll let you be alone," Tsuna said with a frown. "Kaa-san, Haru, Kyoko, and Bianchi are all busy and can't bring you. My Guardians all have their own work to do, so you'll be going alone today if I don't go with you. Now let's go. Don't make me come out here for nothing."

"No!"

"Yes! Come on!" Tsuna realised that he was getting nowhere like this. "I'll buy you some Yatsuhashi after school," he bargained.

Lambo brightened slightly. "Two servings."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "One."

"Two!"

"One."

People passing by were giving them odd glances. They saw a lean young man who had fluffy brown hair and wearing two interesting rings on his right hand, arguing with a child who had curly black hair and Italian features.

Lambo's afro had grown out, but it was still very curly.

"You know what?" Tsuna decided on something. "Forget it." He picked up Lambo and _carried_ him a few steps before the child got embarrassed.

"Baka-Tsuna! Put me down! Everyone's watching!"

Tsuna hummed a cheerful tune and ignored him. "Fine! I'll go to school if you'd just buy me some Yatsuhashi when I come back!"

Kids his age were beginning to laugh. Lambo's face reddened. "Tsuna! You don't have to buy me anything and I'll still go!"

Tsuna stopped humming and set him down.

"That's more like it," he said cheerfully. "Don't forget your promise to me, Lambo."

Lambo opened his mouth to argue but sighed.

"Do you have everything you need?" Tsuna asked as they began to walk towards Namimori's middle school.

"Yes," Lambo said with a sigh. "I have my bag, my pencil case, notebooks, and my bento."

"Great."

They stopped at the entrance. Lambo was hoping that they'd just pass through, but Tsuna seemed to think otherwise.

Lambo huffed out a breath and raised his arms to let Tsuna search him.

From his pockets, Tsuna plucked out a dozen grenades and two mini guns; three dynamite sticks, which he suspected belonged to his Storm Guardian; a stun gun, and finally, the ten year bazooka from Lambo's bag. It seems like Lambo's arsenal had grown over the years. He decided to overlook the Lightening Helm. Tsuna stared at the objects.

"How does this even _fit_ in your bag?" Tsuna murmured under his breath even as he pocketed everything and still managed to look normal in his dress shirt and black pants.

Lambo rolled his eyes. "You just did the same."

Tsuna gave Lambo a crooked grin. "Come on then."

With the hazy memory of his old middle school, Tsuna led them to the main office. He went straight for the desk.

"Excuse me," he said. The teenager who was volunteering looked up and smiled nervously.

"H-Hai…how may I help you?"

"I registered my little brother to come here to go to school. We're here to pick up his uniform and to sign the forms," he replied with an easy smile.

"O-Oh! Y-Yes, yes, just a moment," she said, flustered. She found the forms quickly and handed them over. "H-Here!" She looked down at Lambo. "You have such a cute little brother," she commented shyly.

Lambo opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn't exactly Tsuna's little brother, but shut it. He liked the ring it had.

"Thank you. Everyone thinks that of him," Tsuna said cheerfully and patted Lambo's head affectionately. Lambo scowled.

Tsuna took out a pen and filled out the necessary information.

Once he was finished, Lambo was given a uniform and was shown where to change.

Tsuna sat outside in the waiting area. Many people came in and out, all noticing the unfamiliar young man lounging on the bench. He pretended to look at the ceiling as they stared at him. A few times, he noticed that such females who looked at him were his old classmates, coming in for one reason or another.

_Did I change so much that they don't recognise me?_ He wondered. Then his phone beeped. As he pulled it out, Lambo emerged from the room.

Lambo looked around and spotted Tsuna taking out his phone. His cheerful mood dropped. That was probably Gokudera calling him back to the base. He met Tsuna's eyes as he approached. Then Tsuna lifted the phone higher and Lambo heard something _SNAP!_

"Hey," he protested. "Did you just take a picture of me?"

"Whatever are you talking about?" Tsuna asked as he saved the picture and read the message.

_Yeah, I'll be back in a minute,_ he typed with his thumb as he guided Lambo out of the office. Looking around, he continued to type as he said to Lambo, "Your class should be on the first floor. Oh, it should be just around this corner," Tsuna said and pointed to the left.

_I'll be back after I make sure Lambo gets to his class. By the way, here's a picture of his uniform. Fresh off the press._ He attached the picture and sent the text.

"You're doing something," Lambo accused as he watched Tsuna. Tsuna looked at Lambo as his thumb flew over the phone's keyboard with lightening speed. His big brother just smiled at him.

"Ah, there's your teacher," he said. Lambo scowled and turned to look. "You promised not to cause any trouble, alright? Don't start any fights. You get enough of those with us at home, and those are _way _more fun. Don't mark yourself as a troublemaker."

"Yes, yes," Lambo said. "We've been over this already!"

The teacher approached. "Hello. Welcome to Nami-chuu. I am Itsuki Souta, the homeroom teacher of class 1B."

Tsuna smiled and bowed when the teacher did. He didn't recognise him, so he was probably hired some time after he graduated.

The teacher had short black hair and kind brown eyes. He was about as tall as Tsuna, and he marked him to be in his thirties. The wedding ring he wore said that he was a married man and the way how he was dealing with Lambo said he was used to teenagers.

"Actually, I used to attend here. My little brother," he said, gently moved Lambo in front of him, "is starting his middle school life this year. He was home schooled before."

"Ah, so we have a veteran," he said to Tsuna. "What is your name, may I ask?"

"Oh—I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself first," Tsuna said.

Lambo rolled his eyes behind their backs. He knew that Tsuna was purposely trying to _not_ announce his presence at Nami-chuu because of all the trouble he and his friends had caused over the three years they were there.

"I am Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Itsuki sensei's brows rose in surprise and looked him over. _This is _the _Sawada Tsunayoshi…? He is definitely not how I expected him to look…_

Tsuna stood patiently over the examination. Lambo knew that this was one of the reasons why Tsuna decided to not change out of his business-like clothing. It gave him an air of importance.

"Well, Sawada-san, we are glad your brother could join us."

Tsuna nodded and looked at Lambo, who reached just above his elbows. "Lambo, don't cause any trouble, alright?"

"Tsuna-_nii,_ I never cause trouble," Lambo replied to Tsuna's hidden warning.

"I'll be leaving now then," Tsuna nodded to the teacher, and then he said to Lambo, "See you at home."

"Ciao," Lambo said.

"Well now, time to go. The bell will be ringing in a few minutes," Itsuki sensei said.

"Hai," Lambo said obediently and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

As they approached class 1B, Lambo noticed that a plain-looking girl was standing shyly by the doorway, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Oh, you must be the other transfer student," Itsuki sensei said in greeting. "Hello, and welcome to Namimori Middle School."

The girl bowed. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yamanashi, Sawada, please wait outside and come in when I call you."

She nodded. Lambo gave her another curious look before standing next to her by the door.

They heard their teacher speak from the room. "It's nice to meet you all! Now, settle in. I'm your homeroom teacher, Itsuki Souta!"

Lambo droned out the formalities and waited for the moment he and this girl were going to be introduced.

"We have two new transfer students, and I hope you'll make them feel welcomed," Itsuki sensei said. "Come on in!"

Lambo slid the door open and stepped in. The girl came in after him. The two of them stood in front of the class.

"Introduce yourself," Itsuki sensei prodded with a smile when Lambo just stared at the class.

"I'm Lambo—er, Sawada Lambo, but everyone calls me Lambo. I was home schooled until I turned thirteen, and then my family thought that I should go to a public school instead." _That sounds good enough,_ Lambo thought. "I'm fond of sweets and other snacks. Nice to meet you all." He gave them a bow after a second thought.

"Questions?" Itsuki sensei asked the class.

"Why were you home schooled?" Someone asked.

"Because my family's business keeps us moving from here to Italy, so it was better if I just had a tutor," Lambo said. It was true enough, since Gokudera was the one who did the teaching, and occasionally Reborn.

The class made exclamations. "Italy! Wow!"

"Do you have to move around that often?" Someone asked skeptically.

"So you speak both languages! That's so cool! Could you say something in Italian?"

"What's it like there?"

Itsuki sensei cleared his throat and stepped up. "Okay, not all at once! Sawada, chose what you want to answer."

"Okay," Lambo said to the teacher. Inside, he was feeling very smug the way in which everyone had their full attention on him. He thought that they should all become his subordinates before he answered anymore questions, but he has grown out of that childish declaration a while ago.

"I speak both languages. _My name is Lambo,"_ he said, with the introduction being in Italian. Then he continued. "We move around a few times a month, usually staying in one of the countries for a few weeks. Italy is…" he paused. He actually didn't know much since he hung around the head quarter and was exposed to Mafia-related issues. "It's nice."

"Sawada, you can sit over there," Itsuki sensei pointed to a vacant seat when the questions were finished. Lambo nodded and headed over there.

"Now, your turn," Itsuki sensei said to the girl. She hesitated.

_A shy one?_ Lambo wondered. _That's pretty different than I-Pin._

Like everyone else, she wore the beige coloured uniform. Her hair was black but he could see a bit of red in it as well. It was short and fluffy. _Not as crazy as Tsuna's though,_ Lambo thought with a grin. She wasn't exactly the cute type that had boys swooning all over her. Heck, she was just normal.

When she spoke, her voice was light but carried throughout the room.

"My name is Yamanashi Aki. I transferred here from Kokuyo... And…um…nice to meet you," she finished awkwardly.

Lambo sat up straighter and looked around the class. It seemed like they didn't know about the short Kokuyo incident that hit Nami-chuu about seven or eight years ago. But _he_ had heard of it before. It was usually the topic that got Hibari riled up and arguing with Mukuro. If no one stopped them soon enough or if it got too heated, a fight would ensue.

"Does anyone have any questions for Yamanashi?" Itsuki sensei asked the class.

A few raised their hands and asked the things transfer students are usually asked.

"Eto," Aki said in answer to a question Lambo didn't hear. "My grandfather kind of owns a candy shop in the shopping district…"

Lambo looked up in interest again. "What's it called?" He asked a loud.

"Sawada, raise your hand!" Itsuki sensei scowled. It took Lambo an extra five seconds to realise that his teacher was talking to _him._

Sawada.

He still wasn't very used to it. Everyone just called him Lambo, Lambo-chan, or Ahoshi.

"Sorry," he said and raised his hand with a sigh. A few classmates laughed at the teacher's scolding. Obviously there was no point in raising his hand _after_ speaking out.

Itsuki sensei sighed.

Aki smiled and answered his question.

"It's called Niji no Kyandi."

_Rainbow Candy,_ Lambo thought._ It sounds like it has tasty candy._

"You can sit beside Sawada Lambo," Itsuki sensei said when he noticed that it was the only empty seat left.

Lambo looked up and met her eyes with his bored ones. She smiled and began to walk towards her desk.

Then she tripped over the leg of a chair and fell to the ground.

Lambo's jaw dropped. _I didn't know it was possible for someone to trip like that other than Tsuna…_

The class gasped and then some giggled while some asked if she was alright.

"I-I'm fine," she said with her head down. She made the rest of the way to her desk with her head down, and cheeks red with embarrassment.

Itsuki sensei cleared his throat. "And…let's start today's class. First I'll be doing a bit of review…"

Lambo became bored quickly and looked around the class. He wished that he was allowed to wear his horns. But Gokudera had taken then away from him, saying that he'll look like an idiot with them on.

...

By lunch, Lambo was absolutely bored with school. It's not that he knows all the material—it's just that he has no interest in learning. He took out his bento and began to eat. Other students had their own groups of friends to eat with and didn't bother with Lambo. He shrugged. Then he looked at the other transfer student who didn't start eating yet. Then he saw that her cheeks were still very red.

For a moment, Lambo panicked. _Oh my god, she's gonna blow!_ Then he remembered that this wasn't I-pin and that not all girls were ticking bombs when embarrassed.

"Uh, are you going to eat or what?" He asked bluntly.

Her head snapped up and she looked at him. "What?"

He pointed at her desk, which was clear of the bento that should be there.

"Oh," she murmured. "I…can't seem to eat when I'm embarrassed."

Lambo blinked. That was the same case with I-Pin. Maybe these two could become friends.

"Why are you embarrassed? Because you fell?" He asked.

Her blush deepened and she nodded.

Lambo tossed that thought around his head. "I have a nii-chan who used to be just as clumsy as you when he was our age. Now he's as agile as a pro dancer."

Her eyes widened and she scoffed. "Are you serious?" She asked.

Lambo grinned. "Of course I am."

Soon they became comfortable in each other's company, with Lambo listing out as much as he could remember of all the embarrassing things Tsuna did when he was still a klutz, and this encouraged Aki to tell him about her own down times. He also found out that she surprisingly, had a very sarcastic personality. By the end of lunch, the two of them agreed that Lambo's older brother was the bigger klutz.

_It seems like Tsuna's record is still intact,_ Lambo thought cheerfully. _I'll tell him that when I get home._

...

When the last bell of the day rang, they put away their books and grabbed their bags.

"Do you want to come with me to the high school?" Lambo asked her.

"The high school? Why are you going there?" She asked.

"I have a friend who attends there," Lambo said and rubbed his head with narrowed eyes and a frown of jealousy. "She skipped a grade or two because she's all smart and stuff."

"Wow!" Aki said with wide eyes. "Hold on. Is that even allowed?"

"Beats me. I'm not the one who put her there."

"Hm…"

Lambo shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah. So are you coming or what?"

Aki smiled. "If you don't mind."

"I think you two will become good friends."

Aki pondered over this as they made the five minute walk. When they reached there, they waited outside for Lambo's friend.

Aki spotted her almost immediately. The girl wore black rimmed glasses and looked younger and shorter than all the other students who were quickly making their way out of the school.

"HEEEY, I-PIN," Lambo said to get her attention.

"Lambo!"

I-pin was slightly taller than Lambo and her braid stopped just past her shoulders, unlike the longer one she would have in two years' time. She skipped towards them.

"This is Ya…" Lambo blinked. "Eto...hey, what's your name again?"

I-pin frowned at Lambo. "Lambo! You have to remember friends' names!

"Yeah whatever," Lambo said dismissively.

"Um…I'm Yamanashi Aki. It's nice to meet you," Aki said with a slight bow. I-pin returned the gesture.

"I'm I-pin, Lambo's childhood friend."

"Great," Lambo said after a second. "What now?"

"What do you mean, Lambo?" I-pin asked.

"As in, do you two want to do anything before we head home?" Lambo asked.

I-pin narrowed her eyes at Lambo as she took off her glasses. "Lambo…Tsuna-san told you to go straight home… _didn't_ he?"

"Uhhhh…"

"We're going home," I-pin said firmly.

"You two live together?" Aki asked with a blink.

"Yes," they replied simultaneously.

Aki nodded slowly. "Okay…"

"We all live together. Us, Fuuta—another friend of ours, Tsuna, and all the others, with kaa-chan," Lambo replied and started walking.

"I guess I'll be going in the same direction as the two of you, since my grandfather's candy shop is still open in the market."

"Candy…" Lambo said dreamily. "Do you think I could stop by and buy the whole stock before heading home?"

I-pin hit him over the head.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"Don't be greedy!"

"I'm not!"

Aki laughed. "I think you'd better not buy the _entire_ stock! There will be no more until the weekend!"

"You can ignore him, Aki-chan," I-pin said. "He's always like that."

Aki smiled. "Lambo's nice."

I-pin grimaced. "You only met him today. Wait until you know him for a few days…then you'll see how annoying he could get."

Aki giggled. "Really?"

"What are the two of you talking about?" Lambo asked suspiciously.

"None of your business," I-pin said.

Lambo grumbled incoherently and started walking.

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Aki asked I-pin.

"I read. And sometimes I would get into fights with Lambo or I would just train by myself."

"Trian?" Aki asked curiously.

"I'm a martial artist," I-pin said. "I have to keep my skills sharp."

"Oh," Aki said. "You're lucky that you know how to fight!"

I-pin blinked. "I am?"

Lambo rolled his eyes as he listened to their conversation. Then he sighed when they began talking about _girl stuff,_ as he put it.

Then he stopped when he saw the shop squeezed snugly between a sports shop and a pet shop. It had a blue and yellow sign with the name of the shop painted across the board in childish writing.

_Niji no Kyandi._

"Hey! I found the shop!" Lambo exclaimed. "Hahaha!" He stood right in front of it, awing at the variety of candy that he could see through the glass. His eyes glazed over as he dug into his pocket for any spare change.

"Lambo-san's going to get one of each," he said with a grin. "Then Lambo-san's going to eat all of it himself! Nyahahaa…"

Aki stared at Lambo, and then slowly turned her head to I-pin who just sighed and shook her head.

"He's gone back to referring to himself in third person. Bad habit," she said.

"I-pin! Come in with me! Lambo-san is going to buy so much candy, Octopus-Head will _freak."_

"Lambo, you have to wait!"

"It's alright," Aki said with a smile. "I can introduce oji-chan to my two new friends."

Lambo saw colours—every possible colour he could think of was in the shop. From simple small candies to large whirling lollipops and freshly dipped chocolate covered apples. They were _everywhere._

This was his candy land, no doubt about it.

"Why didn't Lambo-san find this place sooner? Maybe it just opened a while ago."

"This shop has been here for generations!"

Lambo turned around with a start. "Don't scare people like that, you old man!"

Aki said, "Oji-chan! I'm back."

The old man turned and saw his granddaughter. Lambo pointed his finger from Aki to the old man, then back again. I-pin twisted his finger and he bit his tongue from yelling.

"Pointing is rude," I-pin scolded.

"This is your grandpa?" Lambo asked after freeing his finger from I-pin's grip.

"These two are my friends," Aki said and introduced them. "This is Lambo and I-pin."

Lambo and I-pin exchanged greetings with the old man, with I-pin saying, _"Ni Hao."_

"Oh, so you are Chinese," the old man said thoughtfully. "Let's see, let's see…" Then he returned the greeting with a welcome phrase in Mandarin which surprised I-pin, but she recovered quickly and smiled.

Lambo ignored them and went back to looking at the sweets. "Hey, old man, how much is this? And this—_wow, _that looks tasty! That too!"

Aki's grandfather narrowed his eyes at Lambo. "You must have a sweet tooth, young man. Make sure you don't let it run your life."

Lambo scowled. "I know that already. Now how much is this?"

After giving Lambo the cost, Yamanashi went to the front of the shop to look around with a frown. Aki noticed but stayed with her friends.

"Not too much, Lambo!"

"I know, I know—I-pin, could you lend me a few hundred yen?"

"No! You already have enough to buy a handful!"

"But—!"

"Enough." I-pin pushed Lambo towards the cashier.

Lambo grumbled but set the candy on the counter. Then he eyed the caramel blocks on the table and added two to the pile before I-pin could stop him.

Aki smiled and took over the cash register.

"Just right. Beat that!" Lambo grinned when the cost came up. "I knew it was a good idea to not spend that hundred yen yesterday!"

"Careful with all that candy," Aki said.

"Oh, don't you worry," Lambo said as he bagged his prize and selected one to unwrap. "Lambo-san will eat them carefully, one by one…nyahaha…"

"…and finish by tonight if Tsuna-san does not stop you," I-pin put in.

Lambo scowled at his friend. "Arg, you spoil the fun, I-pin. Let's go home now. Bye, Aki," Lambo said and left. "Hey I-pin, you have to try this!"

"What is it?"

Lambo sighed when she eyed the candy he gave her. "Try it! It's sweet. See you some other time, old man," Lambo said to Aki's grandfather, who had become his new best friend just for opening the wonderful shop. He got a grunt in reply.

Aki walked around the counter when her two friends left. "Are you alright, oji-chan? You looked too worried."

"I'm fine. It's that gang I'm angry at. Goro had better not come again, or else I will give him a piece of my mind!"

"Stop brooding over old times, oji-chan. You have a shop to look after!" Aki snapped, knowing that it would do the trick.

"Ah. Yes, I do…oi, you! What are you doing there?!" He went after a teenager who was just about to spray paint something onto the side of the shop in the alley. "Stop vandalizing my shop or else I'm calling the Disciplinary Committee on you!"

The youth dropped the can and ran off.

"Oji…chan…?" Aki said and furrowed her brows in confusion and tilted her head. "Why…uh…what's the Disciplinary…uh, Committee…?"

"That's right. You just came from Kokuyo so you wouldn't know about it much."

"Know about the committee? And why didn't you threaten to call the police? Who—_what _is this committee?"

He sat down with a sigh and explained. "I remember it when I went to school…it was just any normal Disciplinary Committee. You know the type, dishing out detention, making sure the rules are followed, right?"

"Oh, really? Now, that's news to me. Sorry," she said quickly when he glared at her.

"But then, years after I got married and had children, it began to change."

"Change?" Aki raised an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Changed," he repeated. "It became _vicious._ Under the rule of the chairman, Hibari Kyoya, it became a _force._ Anyone who disobeyed the rules of the school, or Namimori as a whole…was met with a painful end. They would end up severely injured in the hospital for months. I remember the time when my nephew was hospitalised for three weeks due to broken bones and sprained ankles."

Aki shuddered.

"It doesn't matter what rule it is. Whether it's simply being late or having the wrong hairstyle, you will be met with severe punishment."

"A-And now?" Aki asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Now? Oh. I don't know. I'm sure it's still a strong fear in Namimori, but Hibari Kyoya is a grown man now. He's moved away from the school, but he still has contact with the current chairman to keep up to date with things. But the committee has mellowed down."

"Mellowed down?"

"The disciplined don't stay in the hospital for more than a few days," her grandfather said dismissively and sipped his tea.

"However, just threatening the troublemakers with the name does the trick, since Hibari Kyoya has created such a front; the name will still send shivers up people's backs for only a few more years if he stays away from the committee. Also, as long as you pay the fee, they have the responsibility to look after us."

"For some reason I don't think he ever left it," Aki said slowly. "I mean, why would he, if he's made it into such a big deal?"

"Hm. Good point."

"And it seems like they are the law here, not the police…"

His laugh echoed through the shop long and hard. "O-Oh, dear…child, the committee _is_ the law…if you see any of the members, turn around and walk away as fast as you can."

She frowned. "Okay..."

...

The next day at school, Aki walked in to a very shocking Lambo. "L-Lambo…is that you?"

"Hn?" Lambo grunted and looked at her through sore and tired eyes. "Aki?"

"You look…" Aki examined her friend and couldn't really describe how he looked. Lambo looked as though he had been through a beating that should have left him half dead, but…here he was, standing on his own two feet, if not a bit tired, but…nothing else. She wasn't even able to see a bruise on him.

"You look tired," she finished.

Lambo snorted. "I'd be surprised if I didn't, considering I got tortured through dinner and into the morning. I just got away from the demon an hour ago to get ready. Yeesh. Hey…maybe I should…hm…" _I wonder what would happen if I told Hibari that Reborn's torturing a Nami-chuu student?_ "That might just work," Lambo mused. "After all, he's so sticky when it comes to Nami-chuu students…but then again," Lambo mumbled and thought of what might happen if he told Hibari.

_Hibari raised a brow. "He was able to catch you? You need more training, herbivore."_

"_But he was torturing me!" _

"_Hn. Doesn't matter. You need to grow up. You're too much of a herbivore."_

"_But I'm a Nami-chuu student!"_

_Hibari blinked. "That's for show. You're not a real Namimori Middle School student. Now if you don't stop pestering me I'll bite you to death!"_

Lambo shivered. _No, telling him wouldn't do a thing,_ he thought.

Aki blinked and waved a hand in front of Lambo. "Eto…Lambo…?"

"What?"

Aki stepped back to re-examine her friend. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Lambo grumbled and sat in his seat.

"If you say so," she said, unconvinced.

"Do you mind if I come over to the shop today after school?" Lambo asked suddenly as they made their way to their homeroom.

"Huh? Oh, of course I do. I don't want you to buy my candy. Oh, and I'm going to have aliens attacking my place, so you should stay away and let me be eaten alive," she said and yawned. "It's a business, so just come in whenever you want."

"O…kay…Aki, are you sure that _you're_ alright? That was a really…_odd_ reply, even for you."

"Eh?" Aki stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. Some jerk was hooting and laughing like a maniac in the middle of the night. But yes, you can come over today."

"Awesome!"

Aki bit her lip thoughtfully. _I should warn Lambo of Goro so he's not caught by surprise. I'll tell him after class._

And so she did.

"Some guy's wrecking my amazing haven of candy?" Lambo exclaimed in shock as they walked towards the shopping district.

"If you don't want to come anymore, you don't have to," Aki said half heartedly.

"You're kidding," Lambo stomped his feet. "If I see them, I am _so_ going to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Why are you taking out your cell phone?"

Lambo replied angrily, "I'm making a phone call!"

She gasped dramatically. "I thought you were going to bring it out and start shooting lasers everywhere," Aki said. "Baka. I know that you're making a phone call, I can see that! To whom is this phone call going to and why are you _calling?"_

Lambo ignored her as he started talking to someone on the other end in a very commanding tone. Aki shook her head and continued walking. Lambo caught up moments later with a satisfied grin.

_I'm not even going to bother asking,_ she thought.

"Gramps! Lambo-san's back for more sweets!" Lambo entered through the doors as if he were a nobel. The other customers were were around him stared at him for five full seconds before trying to go back to what they were doing.

"Oh," Yamanashi said when he looked up from his accounting. "It's you."

"Lambo-san's here to save the day," Lambo declared as he browsed through the shelves.

"Right," Yamanashi said slowly and flipped a page.

"I'm serious!"

"Sure you are."

"Of course I am!"

"Mm."

"I think you two are scaring off the customers…"

"I'll prove it to you, old man—"

"That you'll save the day?"

"Yes!"

"Hey, Yamanashi."

"There's no day to save, you kid."

"Today's the day!"

"Uh huh."

"Yamanashi!"

"The customers are leaving…"

"Because I just made a phone call!"

"What does a phone call have to do with anything—?"

"_YAMANASHI!"_

"…The customers are running off…and it's not even your fault, oji-chan…"

Lambo and Yamanashi, who were toe to toe, turned to growl at the intruder who was interrupting their argument.

"How dare you interrupt Lambo-sama!" Lambo said to Goro. "Go back outside."

Aki poked Lambo's arm. "That's Goro. I thought I should tell you that before you started to make impossible orders that tick people off. It seems like I was too late."

Goro was red faced with anger as he stood at the door, holding it open. Five other men were spread out behind and around him.

"W-Why didn't you say so earlier? Th-Then I could have prepared," Lambo said and backed away one step.

"Maybe you should go," Aki suggested.

That clicked in Lambo's cowering brain and he stepped forward a step. "No way! Lambo-san said he would save the day, didn't he? Well, these guys are going to get it! No one trashes my haven!"

"Why you little brat…_shut up!_ You're annoying!"

"No one calls Lambo-san annoying!"

Aki face palmed and shook her head. "Lambo, you should really get back…I don't want to send you to the hospital…uh, what are you holding?"

Goro laughed. "Look boys! That's some toy the brat has there!"

"Haha! Do you think he actually thinks it will work on us?"

"That's a joke!"

They laughed long and hard about the three grenades Lambo held in his hands.

"Fool," Yamanashi said and stepped up to stand beside Lambo. "Get back. I've been waiting for them to come again so I could have them gone for good."

Lambo said, "You know, that sounds as if you're planning on killing them."

Yamanashi considered this. "It does seem like that."

"Are you?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Oji-chan!"

"Sorry, am I ignoring you?" Yamanashi turned to look at his granddaughter.

Aki tried her best not to roll her eyes. "Don't joke about things like that! It's—not something you want to joke about!" She finished quickly and backed away.

Goro was advancing on them.

"I'll finish them off!" Lambo declared.

"What are you doing with those?" Yamanashi demanded as Lambo unpinned the grenades. "Your toys are useless—"

Lambo cut him off by shoving the two of them behind the counter. In front of them, the grenades exploded and caused the people outside to stop and stare at the shop. The door was still intact, and they supposed that they were just doing…something. So, they continued on with their lives.

"The shop! My house! LAMBO!"

"Did I just destroy the shop? My bad…"

"Oh, no worries, Lambo-_chan._ We'll just have to spend the next few weeks renovating to make sure that everything's good and proper, and in the mean time, we will probably lose all our customers because they think our shop's too dangerous, not to mention almost all of our money!"

"Hey, I said I'm sorry!"

"Why you brat!"

"Uh oh." Lambo peeked over the counter. "Are you calling me? Because if you are, I'm not a brat, I'm Lambo-sama, and you'd better remember that!"

Goro snarled.

Yamanashi growled right back. "I will have my revenge on you now…" He was standing up slowly.

"Whoa," Lambo said and fell to his rump. "Where did that katana come from!?"

Yamanashi was holding a short sword that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I thought that was upstairs…?"

"Never mind that." Lambo scrambled to his feet. "The old man's going to do cut off his arm trying to swing that or something! Worse, he might end up killing that candy destroyer!"

Aki raised a brow.

One of Goro's followers was listening to their conversation. "Kids never realise how serious a situation is, do they?" He murmured to Goro, who grinned.

"No, they don't…but we can change that soon. Do your jobs, boys. And be careful of the brat—it looks like someone's supplying him with weapons."

"Don't know who would do that," his follower said. He gestured to another one and they split to different sides of the room.

Yamanashi said to Lambo, "If you think I'll cut myself, you are very wrong. However, I wouldn't put it past me to accidentally murder this man."

"I hope you're joking," Lambo said. Yamanashi ran forward. Lambo let out a breath. "Yare yare…"

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Aki asked in a panicked voice.

"Why?" Lambo didn't think anything was wrong with that. After all, the Ninth still fought, and Lambo had witnessed more victories than he could count.

"Because he'll get hurt somehow!" Aki shrieked and slapped Lambo's arm.

"Ow!—Hey stop that!" Lambo tried to tug his arm out of the green haired man's grip. "You summer Grass!"

"Summer Grass?" The man repeated.

Lambo struggled with his other arm. "Ha!" He pulled the pin to a grenade out with his teeth and shoved it behind him.

"Get that off me!" The green haired man shouted and flung the grenade to another part of the room.

It exploded and brought down a shelf of jars filled with gummy bears as well as the man who Lambo dubbed Summer Grass.

Aki cried out in frustration and fear. "Lambo!"

"Talk later, act now," he said and pulled out several other grenades. "Nyahahaa! Lambo-san's going to fry you all!"

"Lambo, where did you get those grenades from?" Aki asked in desperation. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Who gave them to you?"

"I got Giannini to restock them for me yesterday!"

Lambo flung more grenades with accuracy towards the other people, but because they were grenades, they bounced off the men and rolled aside to the nooks and crannies of the shop.

One of the many grenades rolled to the side and tapped Goro's foot.

Goro looked down from his little fight with Yamanashi—who was holding out pretty good—and paled.

"Where—?"

Yamanashi looked down and swore before jumping back, just in time as the grenade finished its count down.

Aki pressed her palms to her eyes and then rubbed her face. "Oh…god…did that just happen?" She stumbled around and leaned against the counter. She looked at the spilled sweets helplessly.

Yamanashi came out of his temporary hiding place and looked around. One of Goro's followers was lying on the ground like a corpse while another was hanging half out of the window that had shattered in the fight. A few others were sprawled on top of each other near a stack of boxes filled with lollipops.

And the rest of the shop was in ruins.

Yamanashi stalked over to Lambo, who was very proud of himself.

Lambo caught Yamanashi's eyes and grinned…then he noticed the slight gleam in Yamanashi's eyes. His grin fell. "Is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong? _Is something wrong?_ IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT BRAIN OF YOURS?" Yamanashi leaned in and screamed into Lambo's terrified face. "You ruined my home! You destroyed everything!"

"Wh-Whoa! Wait, but at least you had your revenge on him now," Lambo said quickly. He pointed at Goro, who was trying to stand. One of his legs was severely damaged and bloody. The rest of him was hit by the blast and left him more scarred than before.

"Besides, I've got people who are going to come and clean it all up!" Lambo cheered up again when Yamanashi turned to walk over to Goro.

He kicked at Goro's injured leg and let the young man howl for a few seconds before kicking him again and again until he was whining for his mother.

Aki winced each time. "You didn't have to do that to him…he's already so injured." She looked around and screamed. "GET DOWN, LAMBO—" Lambo turned to see that one of the fallen men was raising a mini gun.

Lambo's eyes widened and he was in the process of taking out his helm when a knife flew pass him and pierced through the sleeve holding the gun, pinning the arm to a shelf.

"Lambo-sama!"

"Hi!" Lambo recovered from his shock. "You came in just in time, although I was going to shield myself from that anyways," he replied airily.

Aki turned to Lambo cautiously.

"I guess I was right to hire you on as one of my many subordinates!"

_Subordinates?_ Aki cocked her head. She brushed a finger shakily over her lips and hugged herself carefully as she watched them.

"Lambo-sama, you have to be more careful. Why didn't you call us earlier?" The one who threw the knife said with a frown. "What would Juudaime say to us if you were hurt?"

Aki jabbed a finger into Lambo's ribs. "L-Lambo…who are they?"

"They're part of Lambo-san's family," Lambo said proudly and puffed out his chest. He turned to his subordinates. "And no worries, he wouldn't scold you too badly, since it wouldn't have happened anyways."

Aki stared at the men and tried to spot any facial features that might give her a hint that they were even just _slightly_ related to Lambo.

"I don't see the resemblance."_ And how can he talk about almost being shot as such a small matter?_ She herself was still shaking from it and she wasn't the one who was facing the barrel of a gun—although she was also the one who never had to deal with Reborn before.

"…Right. But I'm serious. They're part of my family!"

"Herbivore."

Lambo looked alarmed and sucked in a breath at the voice behind him. _Oh, I'm doomed. _He slowly turned around with puppy eyes to face Hibari Kyoya and Kusakabe.

"H-Hi…Hibari…san…"

"Hibari-sama!" The men chorused and bowed.

Hibari ignored them and looked around. Then he looked at the girl who was standing next to Lambo.

Aki in turn looked at Hibari with no shame. Who was this amazing-looking man? He came in wearing a suit, which was strange enough, but it seems like Lambo and his family members knew him! Who was he?

"Another of the family?" Aki asked as a joke to lighten up the cooling atmosphere.

"G-Got that right…and I am so dead," Lambo whimpered.

Hibari showed his teeth. "You've been disrupting the peace of Namimori…" He looked at the men twitching on the floor. "…And caused considerable damage here…"

"I know, I'm sorry!" Lambo said and began to back off. "I'm very sorry! Truly, I am!"

Hibari followed Lambo—or more like predator stalking prey, Aki thought—until they reached the far corner of the room.

"Lambo?" Aki called out carefully.

Hibari turned to give her a blank stare. "Yamanashi Aki."

She shivered and straightened slightly. "Uh huh?"

"Previously a student from the Kokuyo district."

"Yeah?" Aki said, wondering why he was asking her this, and why Lambo's face had suddenly turned grey.

The man's eyes narrowed, which made her want to crawl in a hole and hide until he was gone.

"Hn. You chose well to leave that place. If I hear that you've caused any trouble at all…you'll be bitten to death."

Aki muffled a yell by covering her mouth. Didn't she hear that phrase somewhere before? The ex-chairman of the Disciplinary Committee used that line every time he beat some poor dude to death.

"H-Hai," she squeaked.

Hibari grunted again and turned back to deal with Lambo.

"And you, on the other hand, will be bitten to death right now."

"PLEASE NO, HIBARI-SAN," Lambo cried as Hibari dragged him out of the room by the collar of his shirt.

"W-Wait, Lambo!" Aki shouted and ran out the shop. "Lambo! Oh darn, how do they walk so fast?" She crossed her arms and stared after them, trying to drill a hole through Lambo's head.

"_HIBARI-SAN PLEASE DON'T! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

She saw that Hibari produced something out of his pocket and hit it smartly over Lambo's head, which made him cry even harder.

"Stop crying, herbivore," she heard Hibari say as he hit Lambo again.

"Ow," Aki muttered.

Hibari said something to Lambo that she didn't catch, but the reaction was instant: _"NOT REBORN. I'LL DO ANYTHING—I-I'LL BE YOUR SLAVE FOR A DAY IF YOU'D ONLY JUST NOT HAND ME OVER TO HIM…HAVE A HEART, HIBARI!"_

His voice faded as they turned the corner and out of sight.

"Strange," she grumbled.

"Miss?"

"What?" She turned and saw the three people who came at Lambo's call. She gave her something. "What's this?"

"An advance payment. We are very, extremely sorry for the mess that our young Lambo-sama has caused. We will be sending over the best constructors here in a few minutes to fix this place to be even better than what it was."

"U-Uh," Aki stammered and stared at the zeros on the cheque.

"And now, if you'd excuse us, I think Lambo-sama would have liked us to go on with other business."

"Business…?" Aki puzzled over this as the three men went over to Goro's limp followers. _Wait a second…why are they dressed like…well, uh…thugs?_ Aki couldn't find a better way to describe the men. She blinked as they carried the men outside, and had faces that told her that she would never be bothered by Goro again. She gulped.

"What are you going to do with them?"

The leader of the three paused, holding Goro's injured leg. He turned and smiled, all teeth, at Aki.

"Oh, not to worry. Capital punishment was banned for a very long time. But you'll never see even a hair of his ever again. Ciao, have a nice day." He continued off to his friends whistling a happy tune while he was at it.

"Eh…?"

"Now, that was odd. It didn't go how I thought it would," Yamanashi said.

"I thought you were enjoying it."

"Hm. Well, I did get revenge on Goro…or rather, your friend, Lambo did. But I would have enjoyed it better if I was the one who injured him."

"You have a very scary mind, oji-chan."

"At last, I can rest," Yamanashi said with a sigh. "The weight of my father is finally off me."

Aki narrowed her confused eyes.

"On his death bed, my father, your great grandfather, told me that I must make Goro stop his nonsense, no matter what. Those were his last words. _Take revenge on that man._ Although, I believe that there was even a further history that caused this all to happen."

"Confusing much?"

"I only found out a year ago. It was a letter that he left for me in his safe, which I never bothered to check because he never used it. It told me that there was a history between our family and Goro's."

"Wonderful."

"I don't know exactly what happened since what he wrote on the paper was very vague. From what I found out, Goro's family business is some kind of shop."

Aki sighed exasperatedly. "Oh kami-sama, please tell me that it's not some kind of candy shop blood feud that's been going on for generations! Because I won't believe that!"

"Anyhow, it is over now. Something happened at one point which made our families not see eye to eye. I don't know if Goro is aware of it or not, but he has caused his share of trouble. The vendetta I have with him is complete, in my sense, even if Goro is not dead."

"Vendetta…hmph. Well, that's that." She looked around the ruined shop. "I am going to kill him the next time I see him!"

"What are you holding?" Yamanashi plucked the cheque from her fingers and raised his eyebrows. "Well…this was generous of them…say thank you for me the next time you see Lambo, would you?"

Aki gaped at him. "I just said that I was going to kill him the next time we met, and now you want me to _thank_ him?"

"Excuse me?"

"What?" She demanded and whirled around, worried that it might be another evil guy but trying to hide it under a brave, angry face.

A cowering man was standing by the door. He looked around carefully and seemed to be relieved when he didn't find what or who he was looking for.

"I'm Eric and my men belong with the family who called us to clean the place up. Would you like to do some upgrades around here while we're at it? After all, we're paid pretty much a couple ten thousand yen each time we fix a place up."

Yamanashi and Aki stared at them. Then looked at each other in shocked silence.

Then, Eric was suddenly swamped in demands and questions and even more demands as they told him what they wanted.

Calmly, he organized all the requests in his mind and his assistant jotted down rough sketches of the shop. A calm mind was always needed when dealing with the Vongola and anyone who was even slightly involved with them.

**THE END**

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><p><strong>To RawR:<strong> Yeah! People really ought to stay clear from Mukuro when his time comes to take the spot light! Thank you for reviewing again!

* * *

><p>By the way... I like knowing what you all think of my stories, so if you like it, or don't like it, please tell me what it is about it that you likeddidn't like! It will help me understand what makes a good story so that future ones would be better!

_**-LLM**_


	8. Vongola Mist Guardian: Mukuro

**I Spy**

_ONESHOT_

_..._

**REMINDER:**THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT_ CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Summary: **Loris, a rookie spy who got lucky on a few jobs, has been put to the test of infiltrating into the Vongola's head quarters in Italy. What happens when he is caught by the Vongola Decimo's Mist Guardian, Rokudo Mukuro? Mukuro must make a decision when he hears of Loris' back story. And his choice will be the most surprising one yet…

**Time line: **Arcobaleno curse released. Mukuro's roughly nineteen or twenty.

* * *

><p>It was night when Loris left the base shakily, still unnerved by the threat the Alloro Scomparsa Famiglia made. He heard the crickets and the hooting of owls, but at the same time, didn't. His mind was filled with his last encounter with the boss' right hand man, the worse kind that comes with being in the Mafia.<p>

"_You have only one chance. Don't mess up."_

The husky voice made Loris shiver as he walked down the pathway and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

...

Tsuna, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo, and Chrome stood in front of the Vongola estates in Italy, staring in awe.

Hibari grunted and stood to the side, looking at the guards who were posted at the gates while Mukuro chuckled ominously.

"Kufufufu… To think that I would be welcomed into the Vongola's headquarters," he mused when he got out of the limo. He was wearing his Kokuyo uniform from head to toe. He was letting his hair grow out.

"I wouldn't be too sure that you're _welcome_ at the Vongola's main head quarters," a Reborn who had the appearance of a six year old said. Mukuro looked down at the hitman oddly. For some reason, he was more used to the baby looking like…well, a baby. Having the hitman in a child's form, wearing a full suit with a fedora hat gave off a stranger vibe than when he was a baby.

Mukuro chuckled again, but slightly unnerved.

"Mukuro, Reborn! Come on, you're lagging behind!"

Mukuro looked ahead and saw Sawada Tsunayoshi and his other Guardians, including Chrome, waiting for them at the front doors.

"Speak to your tutor with more respect, Tsuna," Reborn said and sauntered over to the group.

"Kufufufu. Why, hello there," Mukuro said pleasantly to the guards on watch. They tensed at the sight of a man whom they sensed was a deadly criminal.

The group was already out of sight, but it was fairly easy to follow with the puppy exclaiming to his boss about all the wonderful things in the head quarters.

He walked on the plush red carpets and looked around him at the paintings hung up on the walls. They depicted moments of history, of families. He passed vases filled with flowers and rooms with lush seats. The Vongola Head Quarters sure were filled with luxurious things.

"What should I do to keep myself entertained while we stay here?" He asked himself. Decimo would be too busy running around with Reborn and the ninth, learning the role of Neo Vongola Primo.

_Which is very ridiculous, since it's the same as Vongola Decimo,_ Mukuro thought with a shrug. He had caught up with the group as they were shown their sleeping quarters in the guest wing.

He eyed his companions. Mukuro slowly smiled as Hibari glared at him. _Ah. There's someone could fight with._

But then his smirk vanished as he grudgingly remembered Reborn's words.

"_If I hear of you and Hibari fighting while in Italy, I will personally see to it that your lives are worse than any hell you've encountered."_

But Mukuro wasn't one to follow anyone's rules and neither was Hibari. His smirk reappeared.

"A-And the cloud guardian will…" their guide faltered as he met Hibari's fierce glare. Hibari turned and walked away, leaving him at a loss.

"Don't worry about him," Tsuna said kindly. "He'll find a place to sleep. I hope." He muttered the last part.

"How dare he make Juudaime worried," Gokudera snarled. "I should give him a piece of my mind!"

"G-Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna said in a slight panic.

"Kufufufu. If you'd excuse me. I think I'll do some of my own exploring."

"Mukuro-sama," his dear Nagi said. "I'll come with you."

"No. I'll go by myself for now."

And so, Mukuro hummed as he walked up another flight of stairs, encountering no one but maids and butlers. Satisfied that his light exploration of the mansion was finished, he headed for the dining hall.

He saw that the ninth's family as well as his own—though he would never admit that out loud—were already seated.

"You're finally here! Do you know how you could have disgraced Juudaime like that?" Gokudera demanded.

Mukuro simply laughed at him. "As if I would do such a thing," he said with sarcasm.

Yamamoto tried to pacify them. "We shouldn't be arguing at the…table…" he stifled a yawn.

Tsuna yawned as well, followed by Lambo and Chrome.

"He's the one who started it," Mukuro said.

As Mukuro took his seat beside Chrome's, he heard Tsunayoshi apologising to the ninth about Hibari's disappearance, and heard the ninth gently scold the naïve boss-to-be for not looking after his Guardians properly.

With the ninth's Guardians and their boss eating among their midst, Mukuro noticed that no one was spitting at each other or throwing food around. _Kufufu. So they _could_ be mature once in a while._

...

Loris smiled and nodded as he was interviewed by Vongola's low ranking secretary. She was checking his background, and examining the reference a Mafioso had written for him. Loris was applying for a low ranking job, so he was assuming that they won't look too closely at his background. He was lucky that his face was never caught on camera by anyone. If they did, they may recognise him, even if he used his Mist Flames.

"Thank you for coming in for the interview, Vittore. We have just one more step before it is decided whether you will be admitted."

Loris tensed. "What step? I thought this was all there is to it."

The woman, Oregano, smiled. "There is always another step. Come with me."

Loris cocked his head but stood. _I should have expected this from the Vongola Family. A lot of people must have tried to infiltrate them, so they're being extra cautious with accepting new employees,_ he thought. _It doesn't matter. I will get through it._

"Now, just sit down here," Oregano said with a polite smile. Loris sat and looked around. They were in a white room with nothing but the chair he sat on.

"So how does this…test work?" He asked.

"Just relax."

Those were the last things he heard her say before he was knocked out by a sleeping drug.

When he awoke again, he was feeling perfectly fine with no injuries whatsoever. If he wasn't feeling the numbness of sitting in a single position over a period of about three hours, he wouldn't have known that time passed.

He was alone. He looked at his hands quickly and found that they were free of restraints.

If they didn't find out that he was a spy, then his mist barriers were working better than he expected.

Oregano opened the door. "Please don't move. You will fall over if you do." She pushed up her glasses and nodded at his legs.

"What happened?" Loris demanded.

"You were tested. That is all you need to do. Welcome to the Vongola Family, Vittore."

Loris blinked. He racked his brain for any hints of what happened while he was unconscious but came up with nothing.

"But…what happened while I was knocked out?"

"Just some simple tests, nothing you need to worry about. Now, you will start work tomorrow morning—report to the staff at six o'clock sharp. We tolerate no lateness here."

...

The next day was rather boring. When Mukuro went down for breakfast, he wasn't even given the chance to make Tsunayoshi shriek in panic over something because he was already whisked away by Reborn to go off somewhere. Even the prefect was nowhere in sight. He thought that he could find some entertainment with the bomber, but dismissed the thought when he saw that he and the lightning baby were covered with strawberry jam. There was no way he was going to spar with someone who looked that ridiculous.

Ryohei was screaming again. Mukuro winced and got up to leave.

"OCTOPUS HEAD! WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING _EXTREME_ TODAY. YOU TOO, MUKURO…"

"Kufufu…count me out."

"Shut up, Lawn Head! Stop calling me Octopus-Head, it's annoying!"

"Nyahaha! Lambo-san's going to find all the subordinates he needs in this castle!"

Gokudera leapt to his feet and stuck a finger into Lambo's face. "You damn stupid cow! How dare you! All the men here will be Juudaime's subordinates when he takes over the Vongola!"

Yamamoto laughed cheerily. "Why don't we go and ask someone to give us a tour?"

"Why ask when you can give yourself one?" Mukuro questioned on his way out. He was blocked by Gokudera giving a teary Lambo a beating. Mukuro _tsked_ and went around them, and out the door just before the impending food fight broke out.

They were given a tour of the mansion, and then offered a larger one around Italy. Mukuro refused, since he had had enough of looking at tourist attractions of Italy. Instead, he strolled around the halls in the mansion, looking for something to do. _Perhaps I should play a trick on Tsunayoshi. It would be entertaining to see him mess up in front of a crowd._

So, he went to the fourth floor in search of the said klutz.

He turned a corner and almost bumped into a young man about his age.

"Oh—sorry," the person said as Mukuro's eyebrows rose.

"Kufufufu. Not a problem. What are you doing up here?" He asked out of curiosity. He didn't expect to find anyone other than the ninth and his Guardians up on the fourth floor.

He noticed that the person's eyes recognised whom he was facing. In return, Mukuro's eyes narrowed. _Why would he know my face?_ It was kind of suspicious, since not everyone in the mafia knew about him unless they heard of the rumours of him being Decimo's Mist Guardian. Everything before that time was under strict need-to-know basis.

"You're Mukuro Rokuro!"

Mukuro's expression didn't waver. "So?"

"Nothing…" the person said.

"You know me, and yet I don't know you. It's good manners to introduce yourself," Mukuro said.

The stranger looked blank for a moment. Then he became flustered and introduced himself. "I'm Vittore, a newly hired employee of the Vongola."

Mukuro laughed. "Well, then I hope that you survive your first week."

Vittore straightened and tensed at the off handed comment. He had _thought_ the interview went too smoothly. Now they knew he was a spy because this person in front of him figured it out somehow. That was bad. How did he find out? They were going to kill him. Maybe torture information out of him first? What was going to happen to his—?!

"Joking," Mukuro said with a puzzled look at the panic on Vittore's face.

Vittore showed confusion and then understanding. "Oh. Oh…" He closed his eyes for a moment in relief.

"You really _are _new here," Mukuro said under his breath. _I must be bored out of my mind to speak to some lowly servant of the Vongola._

"Either way, don't be surprised if you find any puppies or baseball fanatics here," Mukuro put out casually as he walked off.

"R-Right." Vittore knocked his knuckles against his head as he walked down a flight of stairs. _I must be hearing things. Puppies and baseball fanatics? Anyways…I'm a spy, so I should act like one!_

Unknown to him, that sputtering was probably what saved his life from Rokudo Mukuro.

He had to find information by nightfall and then somehow manage to sneak out of the mansion to relay the info he discovered.

So, as he pretended to clean the rooms, he thought of where the Vongola would hide their more important documents. No doubt, it would be near the Boss' office, or somewhere just as secure. Perhaps the CEDEF had it. If they did, he was in the wrong place entirely. He hoped he could find something here _fast._

As he was about to leave a guest room, he heard voices right outside the door.

"Is everything all set?"

"Yes. Here you go."

"Don't give the blueprints to me. You know that the updated versions of them go straight to the CEDEF's office downstairs. Don't even let me see it."

"But you're the one who told me to retrieve them from the inventor."

"Yes, but only those permitted to are supposed to see it. What are you going to do if you're captured by the enemy? It means absolute secrecy. Now get that fat ass of yours moving!"

When their voices were gone, Loris let out a deep breath and grinned. He just had to somehow find the blueprints to the Vongola mansion and his mission would be accomplished. Blueprints meant a lot in planning an invasion.

...

"Almost done, Tsunayoshi-kun." Timoteo smiled at his heir, who was nearly asleep at the table he worked at.

"O-Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that, grand—ninth." Tsuna yawned and shook his head. Reborn hit it instead. "You have to stay awake in the long hours of paperwork."

"I'm too young to deal with paperwork!"

"Boss," The ninth's right hand man, Coyote, said when he opened the door.

Timoteo looked up from his work. "Yes?"

"There's a new employee that has passed the CEDEF's examinations," he said.

"I'm sure this could have waited until tomorrow."

"Don't be too sure about that." Coyote walked up to the desk and set a folder down on the table. "He was discovered to have the mist attribute. It is shown that the flames are strengthened by regular use. Oregano is led to believe that Vittore is able to light it, although she could not determine the size of it."

Timoteo read through it with confusion. "Why would Vittore not have mentioned this in his application then?"

Coyote shrugged. "Most don't realise that they've lit their Dying Will Flames."

"But you believe otherwise, and so do I," Timoteo said. "He could be a spy."

Coyote nodded solemnly. "Although he has passed all the tests as well as the facial scans for known spies and assassins, his face did not show up. When he was put under unconscious truth testing, there was no suspicion."

Timoteo frowned. "We will just have to wait and see. Make sure he doesn't get a chance to deal with any crucial information until I say otherwise."

Coyote was nodding already, having coming up with the same conclusion. "Just one thing." He sat down and took the picture clipped to the report. "Don't you think he looks familiar?"

"Familiar how?" Timoteo scrunched up his eyes and stared at it from all angles. "I've never seen him before."

Coyote jerked a shoulder. "Maybe it was just me then. Don't stay up too late," he said to his boss before he left.

"Hm," Timoteo murmured. His thoughts were back to the photo of the young man, Vittore.

Tsuna leaned over to get a glimpse of the photo. "Does he really look familiar?"

"Mind your own business, Dame-Tsuna."

"No, no," Timoteo said absentmindedly. "Questions are welcome. Tsunayoshi-kun, he _does_ remind me of a certain someone."

...

When Loris was sure his roommate was asleep, he sat up. He was in a plain t-shirt and shorts, and that was how he left the room. His eyes scanned the dimly lit hall before moving. He stuck to the wall like glue as he advanced through the corridor, then up to the second level, and to the west wing, where the external offices were. He was about to pass the kitchen, but froze when he heard a pot hit the floor.

Loris didn't dare go by the kitchen with someone inside, even if he could use the excuse of getting a drink. So he turned around and went down another corridor.

...

Mukuro closed the doors to the kitchen and walked towards his room. Then he stopped, as though someone had just occurred to him. During his mild annoyance with the incident in the kitchen, he did not notice, but now that he was outside, the scent of another mist user was heavy in the air.

_It must be Nono's guardian,_ he thought sceptically. He thought of looking into it, to follow the trail. Mukuro snorted and shook his head. Why on earth would he do that? It was none of his business of who else was awake in the middle of the night.

For just a moment, he wished that his apprentice, Fran, was around, just so he could stab his head with his trident. He went up a set of stairs and stopped when he saw a flash coming from the CEDEF offices. He back tracked to stare at the now dark room. There. Another flash. A smile slowly made its way up to his face.

...

Inside the CEDEF's office, the spy made sure his gloves were on tightly. He went through their desks and computers. Finding nothing, he made his way towards the inner office which belonged to the CEDEF's commander. He reached for the knob. It was locked, asexpected. Loris hesitated when he saw the panel for a key card as well as a fingerprint scan.

_I didn't bring any equipment to override this…and they'll know that someone broke in if it sends out a signal. _He decided to use his illusionary magic instead. Closing his eyes, he felt for his resolve.

Mukuro entered the office under a mist of invisibility and saw Loris in the process of brushing his mist flames towards the secured door.

_Oya, oya,_ Mukuro thought to himself. _That won't do. That won't do at all. Once the flame touches it, Sawada-san will be notified._ He called Iemitsu's name with extreme mockery, which is just about all he could do to annoy the man.

Just before the flames touched anything, Mukuro reached out with his own flames and twisting around Loris', bypassed the locks. The door swung open. Loris' eyes snapped open in surprise as if he couldn't believe it worked. Not thinking too much about it, he stepped through.

He leafed through the files that were on the desk and moved on to the file cabinets. He looked at the clock in the room and turned back to his work. He already spent too much time looking through the bills. He didn't think they would interest the boss, but even if it did, Loris had no reason to tell him unless he asked.

He wandered towards the safe—saving the best for last. After going through the door's tight security, Loris felt that the simple combination for the safe was a huge letdown. Once he had it open, he bit lightly on his pen light to free his hands. He unrolled a thick bundle of papers and let out a breath.

"Got them," he breathed out with a sigh.

"Kufufufufu."

Loris jumped out of his skin and scattered the blueprints on the floor.

He flashed his light to all corners of the room. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Mist caught his eye near the door. His heart raced as he waited for the mysterious person to materialize.

"Put that light out. You're blinding me."

Stunned, Loris clicked it off. Mukuro shut the door and turned on the lights for the spacious office. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking down at Loris.

They stared at each other for a while, with Mukuro giving the spy a sly smile.

"So you were after the blueprints. Of Vongola head quarters here, or somewhere else? Kufufufu. I think I'll have fun tonight after all."

Loris ignored the plans on the floor and got to his feet cautiously.

"What are you going to do about it?" Loris calculated his chances of an escape.

"Perhaps I should torture you. For information, of course," Mukuro chuckled.

"It doesn't sound like it," Loris said, his breath quickening. "Sounds like you'll do it for fun."

"Kufufufufu…and you've seen right through me. Then I will probably be found in here, cutting you to very tiny pieces in the morning. Or maybe I could leave Sawada-_san _the pleasure of doing so. Perhaps the baby would like to join in as well. But I don't like to share my nightly catches…"

The then went into deep detail of how he would torture Loris, which caused the poor spy to come up with the conclusion that he was facing a really, really, dangerous sadist.

Mukuro had his trident materialise out of thin air.

"H-Hear me out first," Loris said desperately, looking around for a way out when there was obviously no other exit visible to his eyes.

Mukuro cocked his head. "I think not."

"I didn't want to do this!" He blurted out quickly as the trident came down. It stopped just an inch from his right eye. Mukuro pulled back with an amused smile.

"They all say that, don't they? Even when I was killing them…they pleaded. For me to spare their worthless lives."

"I really, truly mean what I say. I was forced to do this—threatened!"

"Kufufufufufu—not interested. " The trident rose.

"My father is known as Matteo to the mafia world!"

"Matteo," Mukuro rolled the name over. "Mafia." He spat out the word. "I don't make it a habit to keep up with the rich and famous of this world."

Loris worried of what might happen to him if he pointed out the obvious, that Mukuro was neck-deep into the mafia world already. So he kept his mouth shut.

"Sadly, since I am not interested in this Matteo, I will have to expose you."

"At least hear me out! Please!" Loris begged. He began to speak rapidly. "My father's been kidnapped by the Alloro Scomparsa Famiglia because he wasn't willing to spy for them on the Vongola famiglias because he held some kind of deal or loyalty to some person in the Vongola so they kidnapped him and made me do it—they already cut off a part of his pinkie to tell me they meant business so I have to do this."

Mukuro paused and raised both eyebrows. He straightened and thumped his trident to the ground.

"Interesting. But not enough."

Loris started again. "My father was always a spy. But he still spent time with our family. My mother, my sister, and me. But after my mother and sister died, he drowned himself in work, and dragged me along with him. First he took on a job to bring down the family who was responsible for their deaths. Then he continued on his work, and rose in the ranks. Every boss knew his name but not his face. Except for one, but he didn't tell me which.

"I've gotten lucky a few times, and completed jobs that were very important, for several different families. Then a few years later, this other family comes along, and tells my father that they need him to do a job for them. I was listening from behind the door. The price offered was a decent one, but he refused to do it. I don't know why, since my father holds no loyalty to the Vongola. But he must have, to be so fierce about refusing the job. But the man didn't take no for an answer. So he fought with my father and used me to threaten him."

Mukuro snorted inwardly. "And of course, you ran out and tried to save your papa." Loris scowled but nodded.

"They turned the threat to me, and now they have my father hostage. I have to do the work. The family is a small one that opposes the Vongola greatly."

"Kufufufu…now this is very interesting. What were you told to do?" He demanded.

"Just to find anything that could be used against the Vongola…"

"And you will do anything for this father of yours," Mukuro stated with no feeling.

"Well, yes, he's my father, after all."

"You suck at spying," Mukuro said blankly.

"…_What?"_

"You suck. I was able to sense you a mile away. And you were stupid enough to try to open that lock into this room without being absolutely sure if you will set off the alarm. I had to do it for you. You should also have known that the first thing he does when he enters this room is to check to see if the maps are secured. They'd know it was you. You may have had a chance if there were no flame users, but here," Mukuro wagged a finger. "No."

Loris stared at him. "What?" _Why does he bother insulting me?_

Mukuro let out a dramatic sigh. "It's a waste to hand you over to the ninth."

Loris panicked.

"So instead, I will show you how to spy _properly._ Kufufufufufu…"

Loris stared. "I'm sorry, but _what?"_

Mukuro raised a brow. "Are you a broken record or something?"

"I—um, I'm—I'm not. B-But what—do you mean by—by _show?"_

"Exactly that."

"…I'm sure you're smart, so you should have figured it out by now." Loris pointed at himself and said, "Me, the enemy." He pointed at Mukuro. "You, the tenth generation's guardian. And you, helping me, the enemy."

Mukuro grew irritated. "I know that."

"Then why are you willing to help me? Why would you want to help me in the first place?" Loris demanded loudly. "How much can you know that I don't already know about spying?"

Mukuro acted insulted. "I definitely know _much_ more than you do. We'll start our lessons tomorrow early in the morning. Meet in the courtyard."

"What—hold it! Don't just walk out on me!"

He stopped by the door.

"_Why_ are you helping me?"

Mukuro gave him a sly smile. "Kufufufufu…you will see…if you get through it."

"How do you know if I won't just steal what I need and leave?"

Mukuro silently held up a disk between two fingers. "Surveillance cameras. Vongola Nono will find it on his desk the next morning if I find out you ran."

A shiver ran up Loris' back as Mukuro's image flickered and disappeared as he walked away.

After standing at the exact spot for five minutes, he snapped to, and looked to the ground. Despite what Mukuro said, he would have no explanation for why he was standing in the middle of Sawada Iemitsu's office if he were caught. The blueprints to the entire base were gone. He glanced at the safe and saw that it was relocked. When did he have time to do any of that?

...

Loris got out of his room to find the place Mukuro directed him to the previous night. He felt jumpy all over. _I don't really believe that he will help me. But there's no harm to it now, since my life is practically in his hands._

He passed several corridors and even stopped by to run a message for one of Nono's guardians, which made him really twitchy.

He finally reached the courtyard. Fog covered the vicinity in the early hours of the morning.

"Hello?" He called out. The fog muffled his call. But he heard the footsteps. He turned.

"Kufufu. You have good ears. At least you have that."

"What makes you think that you can teach me how to spy?"

Mukuro's eyes flashed. "Kufufufu…I've done many things before meeting Sawada Tsunayoshi…let's just say my mind wasn't _always_ with my body during my stay with Vindice."

Loris sucked in a breath. He even looked around, as if the mafia law enforcers would appear out of thin air. Loris stepped back a step before he realised what he was doing.

"We will start now."

...

"Where'd Mukuro go?" Tsuna repeated Reborn's words while rubbing his sore head. The hitman was balancing himself on two legs of a chair near the desk in his bedroom. "I don't know where he goes, Reborn."

"He's your guardian, so you _should_ know where he is," Reborn countered.

"Eto..." Tsuna glanced at the bedside clock. "It's…only five thirty…he might still be asleep."

"I checked his room already. Answer correctly within three seconds or else."

"Hie!" Tsuna scrambled off his bed.

"Three…"

"Reborn! I can't find him like that! What do you expect me to do?!"

"Two…" Reborn paused. "They are your guardians. As you are one family—one team, you should be so."

Tsuna hesitated. _Mukuro's usually all the way at Kokuyo Land. How am I supposed to know his schedule? If I have to guess…_

"I'd still say that he's in his room." Tsuna crossed his arms stubbornly.

All four legs of the chair slammed to the ground. "And since he's not, what _is_ our mysterious mist guardian doing to early in the morning?"

Tsuna looked at him in dismay. "Ugh! Reborn, you woke me up just to test me on his whereabouts?!" Reborn stared into Tsuna's eyes. "I'll take that as a negative. Time for training, Dame-Tsuna. Try to sense their flames at least."

"_Hiiiie! I can't do that!"_

Screams were heard from beyond the door…

...

"More control," Mukuro demanded. "It's not compact enough."

Loris gritted his teeth. "It's impossible to make mist flames that compact! It's mist!"

"It's Dying Will Flames." Mukuro leaned against a tree. They were currently in the middle of a small patch of land on Vongola grounds surrounded by trees and bushes. "Your flames are spread too far! Anyone can sense it if they know what to look for."

"Then why was I able to pass CEDEF's test, huh? If they knew I could already expose my flames, then why didn't they offer me a job as a guard or something?"

Mukuro chuckled as he frowned inwardly. "Your flames were so spread out they couldn't' sense it." That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

Up to this year, only a few people know exactly what the Dying Will Flames were. They didn't have the equipment to look for the quantity. It would be another three or four years before they figured out what the future knows. _Kufufufu…it does no harm to give this hapless spy a little intel._

"You need to gather your flame towards you rather than shoving it into everyone's face."

Loris muttered. "This has nothing to do with spying." He was hit by the blunt end of the trident.

"Any more questions on my methods of teaching and I will turn this around to give you the sharp end. Kufufufu…"

...

Mukuro continued his lessons on spying with Loris at midnight.

"I need to sleep, you know," Loris said.

"While you are here you will get not a single moment of luxury," Mukuro said. "Kufufu…serves you right for stepping foot into this mansion. Now, I will have my fun."

He went on to forcing Loris to understand a variety of things that dealt with espionage.

"How am I supposed to hide all this?" Loris asked when it was two o'clock and time to rest. All visible places of his skin sported a bruise or an angry scratch.

"Oya, oya… You're a mist user. How do you think you should hide it?"

"I have to report to the Alloro Scomparsa tomorrow," Loris said. "To tell them if I find anything interesting."

"That's your problem."

Loris grumbled as he headed to his sleeping quarters.

He opened the door to his room and collapsed onto his bed.

_I'll have to put up the illusion up in a few hours, when I report to work…then I have to meet with _him,_ and convince him that no one has figured out who I am…which will be a total lie._ He drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Loris successfully covered all his wounds with an illusion and went to work.

"Are you alright?" A colleague asked.

"Never better…why?"

"You don't look well."

Loris looked at a passing window. He shrugged. "Didn't get a lot of sleep."

"You better look sharp. I hear the tenth Vongola will be wandering around today."

Loris cocked his head. "I thought they always wander around, like when they had the tour."

He nodded. "I was told to pass the word around—good morning, Decimo!" He said abruptly and stopped. Loris was a step behind and almost collided with the Vongola Decimo.

"Sorry," he apologised. His companion elbowed him. "Good morning."

"'Morning! I hope they aren't working you too hard," Decimo said.

Loris smiled slightly. "We're fine"

The Decimo blinked. Then he shook his head and glanced behind him. "I should get going. Thanks for keeping everything in order. I apologise in advance for the clean up!"

He walked away quickly.

Loris got a whack on his sorry head. "Ow! That hurt!"

"The Decimo will be a wonderful boss! Show some respect for him. He does us good!"

Tsuna began running the moment the two were out of sight. _Uh…control room, control room…where is it? …Control room…that guy was weird. I felt something coming off him, but I couldn't pin it down…ah! There's the control room! Phew…I got here before Reborn could catch up and put bullets in my head._

All thoughts of the two servants left his mind as he knocked.

...

"I found the location of some blueprints," Loris said.

"Get them to the base. Saturday is your day off right?" The man said.

Loris nodded. "Will you free my father after this?"

He saw white teeth flash against dark skin. "Sure. We'll see about that. If it goes as planned, the Vongola will be in for a surprise sometime next week. Is anyone suspecting you?"

Expecting the question, Loris answered smoothly. "No. No one is suspecting me."

"If I find out that you are lying, I will personally slit your throat and leave you in a dark alley. And we'll do even worse to your daddy."

"Don't do anything to him! I'm not lying."

The man stared at him for a long moment and nodded. "We'll be waiting for your findings."

He left his hiding place after being sure that no one would see him.

...

"Next. Learn to use your power as a projection for information. It will be easier if you have a photographic memory." Mukuro raised his eyes in question.

Loris shook his head.

"Pity. You can make yourself have it if you know who to look for and how to train."

"Can you?"

Mukuro's smirk was his answer. "After you learn to do that, you can replicate anything you want, however you want. Later, I want to see if you're worth anything in the fighting arena."

_Oooh, you'll be disappointed,_ Loris thought with a gulp.

He rolled his shoulders after the little spar he had with Rokudo Mukuro. He was surprised that he could do even that, seeing as the said man was holding him with his powers.

"Kufufufu...you are truly pitiful. You can't even stand a fight against me. Can you even walk?"

"No, I—"

Mukuro let go abruptly and Loris crumpled on the ground.

"Aah! My arm! My leg! My back! My head! It hurts all over!"

Mukuro shook his head sorrowfully. Loris saw the flash that came and went in his eyes.

"What was that? What did you just think of?"

"I'm getting very bored," Mukuro said. "It was fun to fool with you, Loris…but it's getting boring. How about I try something different?"

"Different…in what way?"

"Kufufufufufufufu…"

...

Hibari was walking down a corridor. His glare had everyone backing away and going to a standstill until he was far away. Suddenly, alarm bells rang in his head and his attention focused on a single herbivore that was around his age. The herbivore was approaching, planning on passing to do whatever herbivores did.

But Hibari stopped him with a tonfa slamming into the wall right beside the man's head.

The herbivore turned to face him. "Hello," he said slowly.

Hibari narrowed his eyes.

"Is there something I could help you with?" He was eying Hibari's tonfa, which pierced a hole through the wall.

He continued to stare at him. "Who are you?" He said.

"I'm Vittore, an employee."

_Yeah right,_ Hibari thought and pulled the tonfa out to hit the man. He ducked.

"Please be careful," the man said. "I'm holding a box filled with ceramic plates and bowls."

Hibari continued to stare at the man. Then a spark lit his eyes and he smiled ruthlessly.

_Uh oh,_ Loris thought when he saw that. _I don't think it was a good idea to say that. For some reason._

Hibari aimed at the man as the said man continued to dodge and jump out of the way. It was nowhere near graceful. In fact, it seemed awkward and jerky.

Hibari stopped and smirked. "Pineapple head."

The man's eyebrow twitched. "Pineapple head?"

"Pineapple head," Hibari repeated. "Couldn't even beat a kitten. So afraid was that pineapple herbivore that he could not fight me."

A vein twitched in his forehead now. "Okay. That does it," the man said in a growl. Mist dissipated from his body. "You will regret every word you just said…kufufufu…"

The man's body fell to the floor as Mukuro appeared with his trident. Without a word, he attacked Hibari, who gladly attacked back in return.

Loris groaned and felt his head. He looked up and saw ten repeating figures in front of him. "Oh, crap." He blinked his eyes and waited for the figures to settle to the two guardians who were causing havoc in the hall. With him in the middle. "Double crap."

"What are you doing with that herbivore?" Hibari asked Mukuro when they clashed.

"Kufufuf…enjoying myself, of course. If you can keep secrets, I can continue to do so."

Hibari glared daggers into Mukuro's eyes.

"Ouch. Besides, playing with a spy won't hurt anyone."

"Herbivore needs to be disciplined. I'll bite him to death." Hibari released Mukuro's trident and faced Loris.

"Oya, oya...I can't let you do that. It will spoil the fun~ Plus we won't get to see the downfall of a mafia family. It will indeed be interesting."

Loris stared up at Mukuro. Hibari turned back to Mukuro with curiosity in his eyes. "What are you talking about, herbivore?"

Mukuro laughed evilly.

...

They met in the forest the next day.

"You're half way ready," Mukuro said.

"Will you throw away the surveillance disc now?"

"Kufufufu…discs of you sneaking in to the CEDEF's office? Not a chance…" Mukuro's gaze sharpened to a tree some way off. "Who's there?"

"So this is what you've been up to," his boss said when he stepped out of the shadows and into the opening. He wore a white hoodie and jeans. Mukuro supposed that Reborn gave him a half day off.

"Decimo!" Loris panicked. What was Vongola Decimo doing here? Shouldn't he be somewhere else? And what was going to happen to him now that the heir was here?

"Kufufufu…I've been forced to look at others for entertainment since you were so busy." Mukuro looked at Loris, enjoying the panic written all over his face.

"Mukuro! You've been torturing him?!"

"Oya, oya, such accusations!"

Loris looked from the torturer to the heir. They were acting…like friends. That was weird. Then he felt a light bulb over his head. He'd forgotten that the other mist user was one of Decimo's guardians. _How did I forget _that? He could have hit himself for that. _That means the Decimo already knows! Damn…_

Loris took a step back.

"I'm sorry if Mukuro has caused you any pain," the Decimo said after speaking with Mukuro. "What's your name? I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada."

Loris stopped. "Loris. It-It's perfectly fine! He didn't harm me at all!" He raised both hands to wave.

Tsuna sweatdropped and sent Mukuro a sideways glance that said, what did you do to him?

"I…" Tsuna turned back to Loris with a nervous smile, although his eyes were anything but nervous. "I don't know much about what's going on here. But I do know that you're a spy." It was said more like an unsure statement, but his posture showed that he was willing to fight if it came to that.

"Yes, I'm a spy. But I don't belong to any family. My father and I are freelancers," Loris said quickly.

"Where is the baby?" Mukuro asked Tsuna.

"He's speaking with the ninth," Tsuna said. I managed to get away from everyone. For a little while. Where's Hibari-san? You two weren't glaring at each other during dinner."

"Kufufu. Around~"

"Why are you helping me?" Loris asked Mukuro after determining the Decimo wasn't going to kill him on the spot.

Mukuro said nothing, as if he was thinking.

Tsuna turned to Loris with a beaming smile. "It's probably because he just can!"

"I'll do no such thing," Mukuro said with such venom that had Loris taking another step back.

_Man that's scary._ But he noticed that the Decimo stood where he was.

"Don't be like that, Mukuro. I'm not sure what his story is, but if you're willing to help him, then it must be pretty interesting. And you're helping him because you can, and you want to."

Mukuro glared at Tsuna.

"After all, the Vongola is here to help. Don't forget our roots."

"_Your_ roots. Not mine."

Tsuna smiled. Mukuro continued to glare. But Tsuna continued to smile as though he was not being glared at by someone who would be known as one of the most dangerous people in the mafia.

Mukuro gave up.

"So, what's your story, Loris-san?" Tsuna asked Loris. He sat down on the grass. "Tell me. I want to help."

Loris approached cautiously. Then he sat at a distance from the Decimo and told him. As he spoke, the Decimo began to frown. His brow creased with concern.

"If Mukuro hadn't done anything, I would have."

Loris blinked. "Thank…you, Decimo."

"There's no need to stay with that family if it isn't yours," Tsuna said.

Loris shook his head. "Not while they have my father hostage. I'll do anything to get him back."

Decimo looked like he was thinking of something else. "I-I don't mean to be rude, but why didn't they kidnap you instead?"

Loris was surprised as he saw the Decimo act embarrassed, rubbing his neck.

"Um…I mean…your father is probably more experienced…"

"Kufufufu. That's why they didn't take him."

Tsuna gave his guardian a questioning look.

"A full-fledged spy who takes his job seriously will never betray the trust and loyalty of the family he works for."

Tsuna exclaimed in disbelief. "Even if his son is held hostage?"

"Especially then."

"But…but that's wrong!"

"That's the way it is. You are still too naïve." Mukuro shook his head.

"Well, that's why it's me and not him," Loris said, "Even though he's one of the best spies. You're wrong about one thing though," Loris said to Mukuro. "We don't have alliances to any one family."

"Kufufufu…looks like your father didn't update you on _everything._ Your father's been working for the Vongola for the past two years."

Loris' jaw dropped. _"What?"_

"Anyways, there's nothing else I'm going to teach you, since we have, as people would call it, been busted. By non other than Vongola Decimo."

Loris backed away. "You're not going to put me in chains?"

"Watch where you step, or you'll find more than just chains around you…kufufufufufufuu…"

The laughter followed him as he darted off.

"You didn't have to do that, Mukuro."

Mukuro shrugged. He said to his boss, "It's getting _too_ boring here. I was planning on giving the Alloro Scomparsa a visit when that prefect found out what I was doing and tried to kill us."

"You're teaching an enemy spy new tricks. I don't blame him," Tsuna said. "Hiie! Hold on. You're going to do _what_ at _where? _You're out of your mind!"

"He will lead me straight to their base so I can finally have some fun in this god forsaken country. I might even get to torture some people to hell." Mukuro chuckled with an evil gleam in his eyes.

"You're not going to be able to take an entire family by yourself! It's too dangerous!"

"Oh _please._ That's an insult."

"A-Anyhow, we have to tell the ninth!"

...

That night, Loris found a note telling him that the deadline for the delivery had been changed._ I have to do it tonight. I'm sorry, Mukuro. I have to do it._

And so he did. Using what Mukuro taught him, he broke in successfully by himself and took the blueprints. He found an escape route and stuffed the papers under his leather jacket and took off.

He jogged out quietly and used his mist flames to distort himself. A few minutes later, he was clear of the head quarters. He slowed down after a few blocks and hailed a taxi.

He gave the driver a street name a few streets away from Alloro Scomparsa's base. Then he closed his eyes and waited for his heart to stop galloping.

"Thanks for the ride." He paid his fare and got out. He glanced behind him to make sure no one had followed him from the Vongola's mansion. He looked at his watch. It had been an hour since he got out of bed, but it felt like it was only ten minutes ago.

"Time flies," Loris said to himself and walked. He turned into alley ways and emerged onto a deserted street in the Alloro Scomparsa's territory. As he walked along the sidewalk, passing boarded up shops and houses, men slipped out of doorways to watch him. He continued to walk nervously. Two approached him, but stayed a few paces behind. The right hand man must have alerted the men that he was coming.

He didn't hesitate when he reached the mansion that was the Alloro Scomparsa's HQ. He turned to walk down the steps to the basement. The two thugs didn't follow, having led their prey to the den.

The temperature decreased dramatically in the basement. He walked carefully. He turned into the now familiar corridor and opened the doors that led to the room where the boss had his meetings. He saw the boss in the darkened room.

"Close the door."

Loris obeyed. The lights flickered on. Why the boss was in pitch black in the first place was a puzzler.

"Do you have it?"

"Yes."

"Bring it out."

"Let me see my father first."

The boss grunted. "I expected this." He snapped his fingers twice and the rear door opened. Two muscle-men pulled in Matteo.

"Father!"

"What…you…" Matteo said. He looked up and revealed his battered face. Loris fisted his hands.

"Now. The blueprints you found. Hand them over."

...

**An hour ago…**

"This is all Mukuro's fault," Gokudera said. "He's the one who showed that damn _spy_ how to _spy!"_

"Kufufufu…It was fun."

"What's fun about this?" Iemitsu demanded. They had just left his office, finding the safe empty of the expected blueprints. He raised his phone to his mouth. "Lal! Code red, the Alloro Scomparsa! Retrieve the Vongola HQ's blueprints! _Now!"_

Lal swore at Iemitsu, as it was the middle of the night. _"Goddamn, Iemitsu! I have a mission in five hours!"_

Her screams were so piercing that even Mukuro winced.

"Get Colonnello there too!" Iemitsu managed to shout back before she hung up on him. "I have to inform the ninth about this. And _you!"_

He stabbed a finger to Mukuro's chest. "If things go south, the blame's on you!"

"Dad—!"

Iemitsu whirled to Tsuna and looked like he was about to explode but instead, he took in a deep breath. "I can't tell you how to keep your Guardians in line, Tsuna…" several of those Guardians bristled. He ignored them. "But you should know that _this_ is unacceptable!"

Tsuna stood straighter and furrowed his brows at his father's tone. Mukuro's eyebrows rose.

"I don't think Mukuro—!" Iemitsu cut him off by walking down the hall quickly to gather reinforcements.

"Kufufufu…no need to defend me," Mukuro said, absurdly amused that his boss was going to stand against his father on this. Tsuna set a brisk pace to reach the exit.

"Loris doesn't seem to be the bad sort. I don't think he'll actually betray us."

That made Mukuro stop. He stared at Tsuna's back. Then laughing, he continued to walk. "You never fail to surprise me."

...

**Alloro Scomparsa**

Loris hesitated. He raised his arm to get the maps, but stopped himself. _Do I really want to betray them like that? They've been kind to me. And didn't turn me in. Now I'm going to betray them like this. _

"Don't do it, Loris," Matteo said before the men could stop him.

"They won't free you otherwise," Loris said. Matteo cursed.

"The blueprints, Loris," the boss said dangerously. "Hand them over now or else Matteo will never be freed." To make a point of it, a razor sharp knife was pressed to Matteo's throat.

"You won't kill such a skilled spy," Matteo breathed out with a smile. "Such spies are hard to come by."

"Why yes, but so are opportunities to bring down the top famiglia. I will risk it. The blueprints, Loris."

Loris pulled them out just as they heard the commotion from above them.

"What's going on?" The boss demanded. "Go check."

One of the men left the room. The boss stood to approach Loris. "Give them to me!"

"Release my father first!"

"DON'T GVE IT TO HIM," Matteo shouted. Loris was torn between rescuing and obeying his father.

He bit his lip and stood his ground. "I—I can't give it to you," he said to the boss. The boss bared his teeth.

"Oh, is that so?" He raised a hand. "Kill him."

Loris whipped the knife he had in his sleeve towards the man who was about to kill his father. The man had just enough time to register the knife before he leaped out of the way.

Matteo stumbled without the hold of the man. The boss however, was raging mad and had Loris' throat in a large hand.

"How dare you defy me!"

_Uh oh,_ Loris thought as he began to lose air. But he kept a firm grasp on the blueprints.

Then he heard a gun being cocked from behind the boss.

"You know, I think I'd release him, if I were you," a blond haired child said with a grin while holding a rifle which was clearly too big for him. The boss turned.

"You can't kill me! My men will avenge me! And my brother's family will join with them!"

Colonnello seemed to be thoughtful. "Mm. Nah. I think your men are going to be too busy fighting for their lives. And your family will be setting an example for the rest of the families." He smirked. "Good bye~" He said in a sing song voice and shot the boss.

Loris saw a dart shoot out instead of a bullet just before he was squash by the unconscious boss.

"Ghuaa!" He coughed. "Ow…"

"Kufufufu…seems like Tsunayoshi was right."

Loris knew that laugh from anywhere. He tilted his head and saw Mukuro standing over him. "Kufufufufu…What are you doing down there?"

"Just get him off me…"

"With pleasure." Mukuro used his boot and kicked the boss to the other side of the room. Something snapped.

"Oops," Mukuro said with a laugh. "I think I broke his arm."

Loris blanched. "Um…he's still a family boss, so—dad!" Loris sat up and looked around for his father. He spotted him using the knife as a lock pick.

"Dad, are you alright?"

The cuffs came off and dropped to the floor. Matteo looked up and grinned at his son.

"I'm fine. A bit bruised up by them, but I can manage."

Mukuro watched them for a moment. Then he turned around and left, looking for more victims. But they were all dealt with, much to his disappointment.

"Mukuro, how's Loris-san?" His own boss asked.

"Kufufufu. Not dead."

"You could have said I was _fine._" Loris emerged from the other room. His neck was slightly red from the boss's hold on it. "Even 'fine' is better than 'not dead'."

Mukuro simply chuckled.

"Thanks anyways," Loris said. "Without you, I don't think I would have been able to get through that. As well as get some more tips on espionage," he added.

Mukuro turned away from Loris. There was only so many appreciated thank-yous that he could take in one day. Heck, one _hour. _

"Whatever."

His boss laughed. "You can come to us whenever you need any help, Loris-san."

"Kufufufu…you say that as though you can help everyone, with the Vongola's help."

He saw brown eyes filled with honesty stare into his. "I don't know about the Vongola, but you, me, and all of our other friends will definitely help anyone in need. We have the power to do that. We _will_ use it for the good."

Mukuro pondered over that.

"Where are the blueprints, kora?"

Loris looked down to see a kid with demanding blue eyes staring up at him. Someone from Loris' other side snatched the blueprints from his pocket. He was about to shout a warning but saw who it was.

"You bastard…if you ever try something like this again, I will personally hunt you down!"

"Y-Yes!" Loris shrank back from the blue haired female who couldn't' have been more than twenty but was scary as hell. She slid the prints into a hard plastic tube and slung it over her shoulder for easy transport. She gave him one final death glare before stalking away with the blond haired kid flying after her using…a seagull…

He scratched his head in puzzlement. His father reached for his arm.

"You need more training than whatever you're sputtering out," Matteo told his son with no mercy. "Let's go home." He nodded his thanks to Mukuro and Tsuna before pulling his son along with him through the wreckage.

"And that's that," Tsuna said with a relieved sigh.

"Who knows~?" Mukuro said, knowing that it would freak out Tsunayoshi.

"Hiie! We're going back to Japan tomorrow. There's no way you have any more tricks up your sleeves!"

"Kufufufufufufufufufu…"

_**O.o.O**_

_**THE END**_

* * *

><p>Okay, done! Thank you for reading this series! :D I tried to make Mukuro's chapter seem like the final-FINAL feeling chapter, if you get my drift.<p>

Surprisingly, Mukuro was kind of hard to write of...I'm so sorry for the sucky ending! :'O I should rewrite this...

_**-LLM**_


	9. Vongola Cloud Guardian

**Triads**

_ONESHOT_

…

A new and improved chapter! I'm sorry for the lateness. Graduating, driving tests, blah blah and all that. There's a rather long author's note at the end that I suggest you read if you are interested in my future KHR! FF work.

…

**REMINDER: **THESE ONESHOTS ARE _NOT_ CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY, NOR DO THEY FOLLOW ANY PARTICULAR ORDER.

**Timeline: **After the Ring Battles. It's a parallel universe in which the Future arc did not happen.

**Summary: **AU. Rina Emi had enough of the Triads in Hong Kong. As a last resort, she escapes to Namimori, Japan, where she thought she'd be free of her responsibilities and of the gangs. When trouble follows, there's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The only option is to fight. But fighting in Namimori is strictly prohibited by the Disciplinary Committee unless you were Hibari Kyoya himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Six Months Ago<strong>

A girl of seventeen pulled her suitcase behind her as she left the airport. Her dark brown hair and clothes were slightly out of place. A pale blue tank top with a cartoon character and bright green shorts kept her from overheating.

She stopped for a moment as her bloodshot eyes hidden beneath her bangs darted in every direction. She held the suitcase firmly and her hand twitched occasionally whenever she saw a sudden movement. Carefully blending into the crowd, she went through security and walked through the automatic doors.

She let out a sigh of relief and took in her first deep breath of Namimori's morning air. "A nice and peaceful town. It's just what I need to restart my life."

"Hey, little miss," someone called out to her. She turned and began to glare at the man with her cold, brown eyes.

_I swear, if there are perverted doctors here, too—_

It was just a taxi driver asking if she needed a lift. She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"So where you from?" the driver asked. "I think I hear a Chinese accent!"

_Damn,_ she thought in a panic. She held onto the arm rest as the taxi went onto the highway. Her right leg began to tap on the car floor nervously but she steadied it with a hand. _Is my accent that noticeable?_ She calmed down and thought rationally. _He picks up lots of foreign passengers often so he's probably used to hearing Chinese accents. _She raised her eyebrows slightly. "You have good ears, mister. Yes, I came from Hong Kong. I'm coming here to stay with my other relatives."

"Ah! Then I welcome to Namimori, young lady."

"I hope I'll like it here. How are the people?" she asked, distracting herself from the worries that were making their way out of the murky waters of her mind.

The driver shifted and looked at her on the rear view mirror. He shrugged and avoided her gaze. "The people are decent enough. It's rare to find trouble here. I heard that there is a Disciplinary Committee, but I haven't met them yet, thank kami-sama."

"Disciplinary Committee? I thought that was just a club within the school that made sure students followed the rules."

The man laughed nervously as he stopped at a red light. "Oh sure, maybe at other places but here, well, I heard that the leader is very fierce and strict with enforcing the rules. I'd worry for my child if I sent them to Namimori Middle School."

The girl leaned back and looked out the window. "Odd. I thought this place was normal."

"Normal? Who said anything about normal? We may have no trouble here, but it is far from normal." The driver chuckled and shook his head.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the apartment complex she was staying in.

The taxi driver thanked her and with a wide grin, named the price of the ride. She practically screamed at the outrageous amount but she grudgingly paid the taxi driver.

"Thanks for the business!" he said and pulled off.

…

**Present Day**

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Hibari walked the streets of Namimori looking for troublemakers.

_To preserve the peace in Namimori, I will bite them all to death,_ Hibari thought darkly.

He was near the shopping district when he heard running footsteps coming from a side street to his right. This street led to the residential areas and it was usually quiet—not filled with screams and frantic footsteps.

One boy, a few years younger than him, with brown hair and a scrawny figure, was chasing after a young child wearing traditional Chinese red with her hair braided from the crown. He noticed, as she stood in front of him, that she wasn't out of breath at all while the older herbivore was trying his best to stay standing.

He recognised them and glared fiercely.

"_Hiiiiiiiiie!_ It's Hibari-san—get away from him, I-Pin—!"

_BOOM!_

Hibari only had enough time to raise his left hand to shield his face from the sudden blast that came from nowhere.

They were engulfed in grey smoke and he heard the herbivore cough. "I'm so sorry, Hibari-san, it won't happen again, I swear—_cough._"

Hibari observed the wreckage, ignoring the herbivore for now. The walls were streaked with ash and there was a small crater on the pavement. The girl was gone.

The herbivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi, had a few scratches of his own. Hibari didn't, but his arm band which distinguished him from the others was gone. The pin that held it in place must have been blasted away, the arm band along with it. Not a trace remained.

Tsuna noticed Hibari's sudden stillness and looked for the source. He followed his Cloud Guardian's gaze and let out a small shout. He knew how much the prefect loved that 'Discipline' armband. Skull was able to steal it once and Hibari was ready to chase him to hell and back for it.

Hibari pulled out his weapons and a dangerous aura surrounded the prefect. "Herbivore…for disrupting the peace of Namimori…"

"I-It wasn't my fault," the herbivore said desperately as he backed away.

Hibari ignored him. "For destroying things that aren't yours…"

First they practically demolish the school because of that stupid ring battle all the herbivores participated in. On top of that, he had his daily prefect duties. And on top of _that,_ this herbivore dared to disrespect him, Hibari Kyoya, in this manner. "…I'll bite you to death."

"_Hiiiiiiiiie!"_ The herbivore ran as fast as he could while shouting apologies over his shoulder, hoping Hibari would reconsider his promise of death.

Hibari gave chase and was gaining on him. They passed numerous shops as he tried to hit the herbivore but the herbivore's reflexes were faster than he remembered.

The herbivore ran into the zoo, where citizens were leaving due to the late hour. Only a few were left to see the chase.

"Reborn, this is your fault. Save me!"

Reborn was flying above them using Leon as an air craft. "I don't fight my student's battles, Dame-Tsuna. Take care of it yourself. Mama's dinner will be ready soon. Be back soon or there'll be none left. Ciao ciao!" Just like that, the baby left.

"REBORN, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE—_hiie!_" He ducked as Hibari's right tonfa grazed his head.

Rain suddenly began to fall on them in buckets. Shouts of surprise rang out as people began to run for shelter. The rain was so heavy Tsuna and Hibari had a hard time seeing in front of their feet.

The herbivore turned a corner quickly, hoping that he could lose the pissed off prefect this way.

Not even stopping to think, Hibari continued to run straight. He took a turn which led to the artificial jungle that was made for the monkeys in residence. He squinted through the rain and spotted the small gap between buildings that would serve as a short cut. He jumped over a few crates and ran through. The rain might have obstructed his vision, but his memory was flawless.

The path the herbivore had taken led to the goats. Beyond the goats were the sea lions, where he would have to double back. The exit from the area of the sea lions was hard to find without the sign—and knowing this herbivore, he wouldn't even remember the way he got in. With this weather, the sign would be as good as invisible. It was perfect.

When Hibari took another turn, he saw the dark figure of Sawada Tsunayoshi running towards him.

The screech from the herbivore was no more than a muffled shout with the rain but it didn't matter. Hibari gave the herbivore a nice, solid blow with his tonfa.

He fell but got up quickly. Hibari started to go after the herbivore but his jacket was snagged by something, forcing him to see what the problem was. That distraction was all the herbivore needed to escape from him. Hibari looked up from the jacket he had just freed from the hook and found that the herbivore was long gone. He snarled at the crate with the hook and bit it to death.

Not feeling better at all, Hibari decided that he should just leave. He began to walk towards the entrance area when he heard someone shout. He stopped and looked around but didn't see anyone. Or maybe there was someone he just couldn't see. Shrugging it off, he began to walk.

"Hey, wait!"

Someone _was_ shouting at him. _Who would be stupid enough to do that_? He paused and looked behind him.

"Could you help me?"

Hibari glared at the figure he could barely see. He turned his back to the herbivore and began walking again.

"Oh come on—you're at the zoo! If you came all the way here, you can't be _that_ heartless towards animals! And they're just little babies too!"

Hibari stopped walking and glared at what was in front of him: rain. He turned around slowly.

"What?" he asked bitingly.

"These hooligans came over earlier and vandalised the support beams!" she—he figured the herbivore was a female from the voice—had to shout in order to be heard over the rain. "The roof collapsed and missed the cages, so the animals are safe for the moment but I need to bring them to a more secure location out of the rain!"

"Get your coworkers to help you," Hibari said and began to turn away again.

The girl swore and shouted back to him, "Damn it, they all left for the day! The manager is already hiding in his stupid office. And if you are even a bit human you should help—I'm not asking you to kill for me or anything."

Hibari just stood there, feeling the heavy rain pour down, soaking him to the bones. Now that he was paying attention, he could hear the soft whimpers and cries from the animals in their temporary homes of carrier cages.

He was suddenly next to the girl, looking down on the animals to see how he could carry them.

"O-Oh…thanks!"

Hibari grunted and looked at her face to see which herbivore had the nerve to shout at him. He frowned when he didn't recognise her.

"Here. You take the hedgehog and kiwi birds. If we're efficient, we'd only need to come back two or three times to get the rest."

She herself had taken the baby monkeys which took up four small cages.

Hibari looked at the other cages that they were supposed to come back for. They all had a plastic covering to keep the animals dry. He bent down and stacked a few more to his two cages and picked them all up.

Hibari followed the girl down the road towards the main building. He felt some of the animals scratch his hands in a panic when they were moving. In response, he growled a warning at them and they stopped instantly.

When they entered the building, the girl pushed the doors open with her back and stumbled into the warm room. She carefully placed the cages on an empty table. After doing the same, he turned and got a good look at the girl. She wore the green uniform the zoo required, complete with the green cap which covered her brown hair that reached to her shoulders. While people who were the same height as him avoided looking him in the eyes, she didn't seem to have a problem with it.

"Oh my, what happened?" a woman cried out from behind them. Hibari turned and saw a herbivore that was probably part of administration.

"I was stuck in the rain a bit," the girl said. She turned to Hibari and smiled. "Thanks for the help…?"

"…Hibari Kyoya."

She nodded. "Thanks, Hibari-san. I'm Rina Emi. Shall we get the others?"

"Hn." Hibari turned right around and walked towards the door without waiting for the girl.

After going twice more, all ten cages were safely under a solid roof.

"Thank you so much, Hibari-san!"

Hibari just stared at her. _This herbivore is clearly not from around here._ "Hn."

"Wait! Why don't you just stay here and wait until the rain stops?" Emi asked when Hibari began to leave. "I could lend you a towel. I can, can't I?" she asked the woman.

"O-Of course you may," she stuttered, looking at Hibari with fear.

Hibari ignored them. He gave the creatures he just helped one last look before walking back into the heavy rain.

_I'll get Sawada Tsunayoshi tomorrow,_ Hibari thought. _It's his fault I was in the rain for so long._

…

His house was a large traditional Japanese home owned by his parents who were always absent, which he didn't particularly mind. Ever since he was a child, he had been alone for most of the day with only seeing one of his parents occasionally.

The housekeeper paused and bowed to him when he entered. "Kyoya-sama…"

"Hn. Don't disturb me," he said to the woman and continued on his way to his rooms.

"As you wish, Kyoya-sama."

The woman was practically useless in the house. He didn't understand why his parents insisted that she stayed with him while they travelled on business.

On his way to his room, he was met by Kusakabe who immediately noticed that his chairman was drenched from the rain. He found a towel and handed it to Hibari who took it without a word.

"I'll be leaving now, Chairman, unless you have something you'd like me to do?"

"That's all."

The first thing he did when he was alone was lift his jacket to let Hibird out. Hibird chirped his thanks and flew to his food bowl. Hibari then made his way to the bathroom to take a hot shower before getting dressed into a black tee and pants. Once he settled down in his bedroom, he booted up his computer to review the applications for possible new recruits sent to him from Kusakabe.

He grunted when he saw the number of application forms. Usually, Kusakabe was good at filtering the nonsense ones, which left only a few for Hibari to look over. But this time there were more than the usual number.

Many were brave souls daring to join. Others were cocky and confident of their abilities. Usually only a tenth of the applicants were actually chosen due to their fighting experience and their background. The majority of them he simply crossed out. Some sparked his interest, which he left aside for further reading.

When he was left with just a handful, he began to delve into their past in earnest.

Hours later, Hibari finished his work with a total of four applicants that he was willing to let pass the first stage. He sent the names off to Kusakabe and turned the computer off.

…

_Midori tanabiku namimori no_

_Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii –_

A hand shot out to grab the phone on the desk. "What?" Hibari said roughly into the phone from under the covers.

"_Chairman, there are some disturbances within Nami-chuu. I'm on my way there myself,"_ Kusakabe reported.

"Who called it?"

"_One of the new members of the Disciplinary Committees."_

"Hn." He closed the phone and stayed still for another moment. Then he got up and changed into his uniform.

…

Emi snapped awake when she heard voices outside her door. In just a t-shirt and shorts, she grabbed a long knife out of its sheath and sat up. Other than the small stream of light coming in through the curtains covering the window, the room was dark.

She clambered out of bed barefoot and had her back against the wall by the window. She used a finger to push aside the curtain ever so slightly and peeked out.

There weren't any suspicious cars lying in wait. In fact, there were no cars, period. She lived in a working class neighbourhood and everyone was already driving or biking to work.

She let the curtain fall back into place and slowly made her way to the door where the voices were getting louder. Too late, she realised that if she was going to arm herself, she should have grabbed for the stunner instead of the blade. Blades were too bloody and she wasn't used to wielding them.

Gingerly, she leaned in and looked through the peek hole to see two men standing outside knocking on the door across from her apartment.

"_Yeah, that was an awesome night wasn't it? Too bad the kids couldn't have come with us,"_ she heard the one to her left say.

"_Your little sis' would never let them to go with us, even if they sang lullaby songs."_

The conversation went on for a little while longer as a young woman opened the door to greet them. After a few pleasantries, they were allowed into the apartment.

Emi exhaled and relaxed. She made sure her own bolts were in place before going back to her room to sheath the knife.

She yawned and stretched her arms. "Jeez, why do people have to come home at such an early hour? It's only seven-thirty!"

Grumbling to herself, she stumbled to her closet. If she was up, she might as well go out for the day.

She put on a light sweater, matching it with shorts and concealed a collapsible weapon in her pocket. She reached for her makeup kit but decided against it. Six months ago, she wouldn't have even thought to go through a day without applying makeup but now, going without makeup would be the best disguise she could rely on. Facing the mirror she put on a white cap tilted to the side slightly.

Taking one last look around the apartment, she grabbed her keys and left.

Since she was on the second story, Emi just jogged down the staircase all the while wondering where she should go first.

_I still have a bit of homework to finish later,_ she thought. _So I can't stay out too late…maybe I can go to that cake store Haru suggested a few weeks ago. _The kouhai she met when she entered Midori was a very helpful guide to the sights and restaurants that were the best in Namimori. The list was so long, Emi only had time to visit the first ten places.

Keeping a lookout for any trouble, she headed to the cake shop after consulting a map for directions.

Everyone seemed to be minding their own business. Mothers were shopping for groceries with children trailing behind them while some couples were making their way to food stalls. She even saw a jogger run by her shouting something she couldn't make out. Someone else was riding a bike making a delivery of some sort.

The teen who was on the bike recognised her and waved. She waved back. He was from that sushi restaurant Haru took her to some time ago. She almost forgot.

A few minutes later, she stopped in front of the cake shop to look into the window display of the cakes.

_They look tasty, _she thought hungrily even though she just had breakfast. _A few bites wouldn't hurt anyone._

The bell chimed as she swung the door open. Pop music played softly in the background as she saw people clutter about, either lining up for their order or sitting down with friends.

_Why is everyone up so early?_ She thought incredulously. _What the hell?_

She decided to look over the cakes before buying one herself. That was when a girl a year or so younger than herself approached. Emi was instantly wary.

With a friendly smile, the stranger said, "Good morning, I haven't seen you here before."

_Why is she talking to me? _"A friend of mine introduced me to this place. She says it's wonderful." Emi said.

The girl had light brown—or orange—hair. She was on the thin side and wore a cute shirt and skirt that matched perfectly. She held a purse in her hands and widened her smile.

"Your friend has really good taste! Has she told you about the chocolate-strawberry special they are offering this week?" the girl asked excitedly.

Emi leaned back when she leaned in. "I think…?"

"You must try it. It's absolutely delicious! I'm so excited since I haven't had chocolate cake in a few weeks."

Emi stared at the girl. _How did she survive without chocolate? Is she _insane_?_

"Y-You…" Emi stuttered. The girl suddenly gasped and let out a giggle.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet." She bowed. "I am Sasagawa Kyoko. It's nice to meet you."

Emi returned the bow awkwardly. "I'm Rina Emi. So why haven't you had chocolate in weeks?"

Kyoko looked embarrassed. "I only eat a lot of fattening stuff when it's Kyoko's Appreciation Day. It happens to be today, so I'm meeting my friend here to buy a lot of cake."

Emi bit her lip and nodded. She guessed that this appreciation day was to prevent them from gaining too much weight…but why didn't they just…she shook her head. _Not my business._

She half listened to what Kyoko was saying while she scanned her options. She was ordering the cake she wanted when she heard Kyoko shout out someone's name.

"Haru-chan, I'm over here!"

Emi turned around as she received her cake and saw Miura Haru, the kouhai who had shown her this place.

Haru looked just as surprised to see Emi as she was to see her.

"Hahi! Emi-senpai is here too?"

"Hello, Haru-chan…"

Kyoko was standing between them. "You know each other, Emi-chan, Haru-chan?"

"Kyoko-chan, she goes to my school-desu!" Haru said. "You finally came, Emi-chan! What did you buy?"

Kyoko suddenly remembered the excitement of cake and waited for the answer as well.

"It's…" Emi looked at the cake. "Some kind of chocolate thing…it looked good, so I bought it. I don't know what it's called," she said a bit defensively when the two girls just frowned.

"It's okay," Kyoko said with a smile. "I'm like that sometimes. Oh, it's my turn in line. Haru-chan, what should we get?"

"I'll uh, get going then," Emi said and pointed to the door. The girls wanted her to stay and eat with them but Emi declined as politely as she could.

"Well that was interesting," she muttered to herself when she was out the door.

She had taken a few steps when she bumped into someone who seemed to be in a rush. She hit the wall and held onto her cake so it wouldn't get destroyed. Instead, her hat hit the floor.

"Tch…sorry," she said to the person. _Damn, that hurt._

"_Go-mun-ees-aaeei,"_ said the teenager who was her age, just a month younger. He had jet-black hair with a streak of blond and a thin, small scar on his chin that came from when he was trying to climb a tree when he was just six years old. His father had spanked him for that. It wasn't long after when he tried again, this time breaking his left arm.

He had a swallow, a type of bird, tattooed on his left shoulder, similar to the hawk _she_ had on her right shoulder. Those tattoos marked them as the heirs of their fathers' Triad gangs—or rather, in her case, the heir until a son was born.

Yes, she knew this teenager. Max. Maxie, if she was trying to tease him.

He straightened and gave her the handsome smile she grew up seeing. She took her cap slowly and put it snugly on her head.

"Thanks!" she said, pitching her voice higher than normal. His accent was _terrible._ He probably didn't know more than a handful of words. Hopefully, he wouldn't recognise her voice. She bowed slightly and scurried off as though she was embarrassed by his actions.

_Why __is this street so long?_ She held onto the cake box tightly and continued walking. _Just a bit more…don't recognise me, don't recognise me, don't…_she continued to chant in her head for the next two minutes.

She was just about to round a corner when she heard him shout, _"Yu!" _

Emi groaned and bolted down the lane without a second thought. She heard people shouting behind her, complaining about the rudeness of the teen who was trying to get them out of his way.

"_Yu, stop!"_

"Don't follow me!" Emi shouted back.

"_Stop!"_ he repeated.

"What was that? You wanted some of this?" Emi lifted the small box of the cake she just bought. "Too bad, I think I like awesome chocolate cheese cakes!" She quickened her pace.

But unlike her, he wasn't burdened by an awesome chocolate cake. He nearly grabbed her arm but she twisted and ran down another street.

"_I know it's you!" _

She tsked._ "Leave me alone!"_ she said in Cantonese.

"_I'm supposed to take you back. Come with me!"_

She jumped over the barriers placed around an open man-hole and ran on. She heard him do the same without breaking stride.

"_I don't want to!"_

"_You're annoying, you know that?"_ he said and tried for another grab but she was just out of his reach. She turned again and knocked down a ladder leaning against the wall. Regretfully, she had to let the cake fall as well.

_Quickly!_ She looked around her as she ran. _I have to find a place to lose him fast._

She spotted a large building up ahead. It looked like a school. Since it was Sunday, it should be unoccupied, right?

Glancing back, she saw that he was still untangling himself from the ladder.

Emi sucked in a breath and jumped. Her feet hit the top of the gates lightly before she jumped again to clear it.

"_Whoa—!"_ Max skidded to a halt before he crashed into the gates and watched Emi run into the building. He placed his hands on the gate and jumped. He was over it in seconds but lost precious time. Now she could be anywhere in the school.

_She just had to run in here,_ he thought with a shake of his head. He jogged towards the entrance which was opened to the shoe lockers. He went up the steps two at a time and grabbed at the wall as he made his way to the second floor. Then he saw Emi at the other end about to disappear up another staircase.

…

_Why does he have to be so persistent? _Emi thought. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the third floor. This time she didn't run. Instead, she slid open a classroom door and shut it quickly behind her. She was in an art room where easels were up with half finished projects and stools stacked to the side.

Two seconds later the door opened and she spun around to face her childhood friend.

"_There you are,"_ Max said and heaved out a breath as he gripped the doorframe for support. "_You run way too fast. Where the hell does the fat from eating all that chocolate go?"_

Emi's eyes darted to the second door of the classroom on the other side of the room. How was she going to get there? "_How did you find me?"_ she asked.

He laughed. "_Pure luck. Dad sent me here to deliver some merchandise while he went to Shanghai." _

"_Maybe it's about time to join him,"_ Emi said and began to move towards the door slowly. Max recovered and began to move with her, ready to run at a moment's notice.

"_How did you know it was me anyways?"_

Max raised an eyebrow.

Emi sighed. _"I'm not wearing make-up. When have you ever seen me without my make up?"_

"_Every day before you turned thirteen?"_ Max said and walked towards her. She quickly brought out a rod with her hand on a button.

"_Not another step or I'll shock you with this."_

Max stopped and raised both hands to show that he was unarmed. _"I just want to talk."_

Emi found this hilarious. _"No you don't. You're trying to take me back."_

_"Just…come on, it can't be that bad. We can go back to how we always were. Your dad misses you. We all do!"_

Something in her snapped. _"I WANT TO LEAVE IT,"_ she screamed at him and swiped the rod in front of her in a wide arc. He flinched when it almost touched him. Then she began to walk backwards.

He followed her. _"Yu—"_

"_If he really loves me, if he really misses me, then he shouldn't have done that to his own daughter,"_ she said shakily.

Max frowned. _"What?"_

Emi shook her head and her hand steadied again. _"I overheard them loud and clear. He was going to marry me off to a murderer."_

Max stiffened. Then he said slowly, _"Yu, what are you talking about? I didn't kill—"_

"_He's breaking that contract," _Emi hissed at him just as the second door to the room opened.

Both their heads turned but it wasn't fast enough to avoid the tonfa that hit them both.

Max groaned and clutched his jaw as he sat up to look at the attacker. _"What happened?"_

"The two of you broke the rules by intruding,"someone said. "Especially when neither of you are students of Nami-chuu."

Emi looked up angrily at the one who knocked her down. "What the—hey, aren't you…Hibari-san?"

...

Hibari came into the room expecting to find the baby and the herbivores doing something stupid again. But to his surprise, he heard a girl shouting at a boy as he approached the art room.

He slid open the door and with his tonfa, hit the girl on the shoulder to make her drop the black rod and then smacked the other tonfa into the boy's jaw. Both of them went sprawling.

"I will bite you to death for intruding."

"Wait a second!" the female herbivore said.

The male herbivore said something in Cantonese but the female herbivore ignored him.

"You're Hibari Kyoya aren't you?" the female herbivore said and pointed at him. "You're that guy from the zoo yesterday."

Hibari stopped and looked at the female herbivore again. He stared at her, trying to figure out whether he really did see her at the zoo yesterday. He remembered …animals? Yes, something that had to do with animals.

"Herbivore."

She blinked. "Uh…yes?"

"You and the other herbivore are trespassing on private property."

"Um…okay…? We're sorry."

The male herbivore whispered something towards the female herbivore. It sounded as though he wanted an explanation for what the conversation as about. The female herbivore translated and he looked affronted from something she said. She shrugged in reply.

Hibari raised both tonfa. They got to their feet quickly. The male herbivore said something in a panic, his eyes glued to the pair of tonfa.

"Hibari-san, what are you doing?"

"I'll bite you both to death."

Her eyes widened. The male tugged her shirt, waiting for a translation. She said something to him as an answer. The male herbivore looked like he wanted to protest but Hibari didn't give him the chance to.

"Max! Hibari-san, what are you doing?!" Emi—Hibari finally remembered that she was named Rina Emi—approached them only to be pushed away by Max.

He shouted a command at her. She snapped back and didn't move. Max rolled to the side as Hibari his hit side. Max grasped something and repeated the order he shouted to Emi as he raised the rod she dropped.

Emi pressed her head with both hands for a second before angrily letting go. She growled. "Aargh! I hate you!" she said and ran.

Max was back on his feet, blocking the attacks that Hibari threw at him. When they separated, Hibari looked over his opponent again. He didn't care for the female herbivore if this one was worth biting to death. And he still had to make this herbivore pay for ruining a room in Nami-chuu.

After deflecting both tonfa, the herbivore activated the stunner on the rod and shocked Hibari through contact with the metal weapon, even if the handles had a coat of rubber.

The pair of tonfa clattered to the floor and Hibari stumbled back a step. His hands were shaking from the shock but he clenched and unclenched his fists. Oh, this herbivore was in for it. Not only was he trespassing, but he was also using a dangerous weapon within Nami-chuu…at least…dangerous towards other herbivores.

Hibari smirked and picked up his tonfa. He spun them around once and and gripped the handles firmly. Then he charged at the other teen, aiming to land him in the hospital.

…

Kusakabe turned his head and saw the Chairman carrying someone like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.

"Chairman," he greeted. Hibari grunted at him and dropped the teen just outside the doors of the art room.

"Would you like me to question him while he's at the hospital?"

"No." Hibari turned and walked down the flights of stairs. He had an easier target to question for the mean time.

He found her lurking outside the school, out of view of anyone who was not serious about hunting down herbivores. He walked up to her while she was looking away and waited for her to notice him—which took less time than he thought it would.

"H-Hibari-san…" She stepped back and looked over his shoulder. "W-Where is Max?"

"Hn."

"What does that mean?"

"Hospital."

She looked at him in shock for a moment before she showed anger. "Do you just walk up to people and beat them up so badly that they need to go to the hospital for treatment?" she demanded. "That's not right!"

"Are you questioning me?" He hated it when people questioned his morals.

"Yes, I am!" she said defiantly with fire in her eyes. "You just hurt one of my best friends and I demand an apology."

He glared at the herbivore. How dare she question his authority and how he ran things? This was his Namimori. This was his school. He will do anything to protect it.

"You, herbivore, why were you in the school?"

"I don't need to answer to you," she said.

Hibari's glare cooled the air around them a good ten degrees and she shivered from the annoyance pulsing from him. He could tell that she was reconsidering her previous answer. As an extra push, he decided to repeat his threat. "I will bite you to death if you don't tell me."

"I—I was just running away from Max. I thought the school would be a good place to hide, since no one goes to school on Sundays," she said quickly.

There was his answer. Though why the herbivore was being chased was a mystery—not that he cared—as long as they did not purposely infiltrate Nami-chuu with the intent to do harm, he could care less for their situation.

"Hn. Don't approach Nami-chuu ever again."

He proceeded to patrol the streets with the intent to flush out any more disruptions in his town.

Encountering crowds of herbivores, he bit them to death; with the occasional mafia herbivores, he left alone unless provoked. He had better things to do than to deal with the constant source of trouble in Namimori. As long as they weren't attracting any trouble at the moment, he would ignore them.

He kept a look out for the mist user but there was no sign of him or his group of herbivores. Satisfied that everything in Namimori was peaceful for the time being, he returned to Nami-chuu. He passed by a delivery van, finding it full of men moving boxes into one of the old buildings just outside downtown.

He stopped for a moment to observe the herbivores. He didn't understand why they were moving into such a shabby building when there were newer, cheaper, and better maintained ones not far from this location. He walked away, noting it down so Kusakabe could have a committee member report anything suspicious.

…

Emi wanted to ask Hibari which hospital Max was in, but was afraid that he would "bite her to death", whatever that meant. _Why does he even say that?_ It just wasn't normal. She hoped he wasn't one of those people who were obsessed with vampires. He seemed like an okay-sort. Anyone who was willing to help animals on a rainy day went into her good books.

But harming her friends puts that person on the top of her hate list. Filled with anger, she didn't control her voice as she asked the nearest passerby, "Hey, where's the nearest hospital?"

The blond haired child cowered behind the teenager she was talking to. With his cow printed shirt and lazy look, he seemed pretty cool but she wasn't interested in making a new friend. She wanted directions.

He simply stared at her with a bored look before giving clear directions to Namimori Hospital. "Cross that street and turn left, then continue walking until you cross another road." Then he mumbled darkly under his breath, "That is, if I remember correctly."

She walked off after hearing the directions, not bothering to listen to his last comment. Emi arrived at the hospital within ten minutes. She went up to the front desk and asked about Max.

"Are you sure? He was brought in by Hibari Kyoya this morning," she said when the woman shook their head. The nurse's eyes widened and she quickly showed Emi the elevator that led to Max's floor. Then she went back to her work, looking more nervous.

When Emi was alone, someone called out her name from the stairwell. Cautiously, she opened the door: it was just Max, bandaged from head to toe.

"_MAX? What are you doing there?"_

"_There's no way I'm staying in a hospital."_

"_Well you're not going anywhere with me so you're forced to stay in the hospital,"_ she said and let the door swing back into place.

Max let out a frustrated sigh and said, _"Could we at least talk for a bit? I want to know what you were saying back in that classroom."_

She glared at him. _"Fine." _She glanced behind her to make sure that no one was paying any attention to them. She tilted her head towards the back door.

"_Why is the Disciplinary Committee such a big deal?" _he asked as he followed her.

"_I'll tell you outside,"_ Emi said and carefully opened the door to lead them to a park she walked by on her way to the zoo. As they walked, Max undid his bandages. He explained that they were unnecessary but they automatically assumed that he was critically injured when the big man with the weird hairdo brought him in.

Emi snorted. _How many others have they hurt in the past year? Better yet, years? They're starting to sound like a gang,_ she thought.

She told him about the Disciplinary Committee and admitted that she didn't know much about them herself. Most of what she told him was what others have warned her about. Until this week, she never had a run-in with them.

Once they were settled on a bench, Max crossed his arms and stared at her, waiting for the explanation.

"_So your dad is breaking our marriage contract. Why?" _he asked. _"I thought they worked it all out before we were born. This is a very sudden change and will affect our alliances with other Triad gangs." _

He left out the part of their personal relationship coming to a definite end, but she knew he was thinking about it too.

"_I don't know what has gotten into him. Last I heard, he was serious about the first contract and even made sure that I didn't have a secret boyfriend,"_ she said bitterly. _"Now I'm supposed to marry the boss of the Tigers."_

"_The Tigers…I heard about them."_

"_How did _you_ hear about them?"_

"_They only caught the attention of the bigger gang a month after you left. I should be asking how _you_ know them."_

Emi watched him reproachfully. _"You really think I don't know what's going on around me, do you? I know because long before they came to power, I had contacts who knew of them. Obviously I cut my ties wish those contacts."_

"…"

"_I should go now,"_ Emi said. _"I'll…see you some other time. And don't call me by my old name out in the open. Here, I am Rina Emi."_

…

Two days later, Hibari and his right hand man were receiving reports from his members about suspicious activities in Namimori.

Near the end of the meeting, a particular topic was brought up that he had never heard of before.

"Chairman, I'm representing the lookout for the people who just moved into the old buildings two days ago."

"Why are you reporting so soon?" Kusakabe asked.

"It's because I found something that I thought was too important to wait until the end of the week, sir!"

Kusakabe gave him the go-ahead and he began his report.

"It was rater suspicious that they only brought in a few boxes and none of it was furniture. I've asked the landlord, who claimed that they have only started to move in yesterday and have not brought in anything that is usual in a living space.

"We found that they owned the moving truck and traced it back to the owner, Nagashima Juno, but this person doesn't exist. My partner decided to tail the men yesterday, but they didn't go anywhere, only sending one person out to collect food once a day.

"This morning, a man we have not seen before was waiting outside the building. Then one of the targets came out and they started to talk."

"And?" Kusakabe prodded when he hesitated. "What did they say?"

"They were speaking in Cantonese so I had to record the message and have it translated while my partner stayed to watch the building. I found out that the group is part of the Triads in Hong Kong."

This perked Hibari's interest. As far as he knew, the Triads had no dealings in Namimori. The closest ones resembling underground Chinese members in Namimori were that other baby and the girl herbivore—and he was sure that they were part of the Italian Mob, not the Triads.

"What did they want?" Kusakabe asked.

"They are looking for someone who ran away. They suspect that the person has been hiding in Namimori and have come to find the person."

"Did they hint at any fighting that might have to be done to retrieve this person?"

"They said that they must take the person back no matter what."

"Is that all?"

"Hai!"

Kusakabe turned to see the Chairman's expression. When he found it blank and indifferent, he knew that he wouldn't be listening to the rest of the meeting.

"That's enough for today. Good work, everyone."

The members began to straighten their papers and push in the chairs. They filed out and closed the door quietly behind them.

"What happened to the herbivore in the hospital?" Hibari questioned when they were alone.

"He was released from the hospital yesterday. Do you think he's connected to this?" Kusakabe asked.

Hibari let out a grunt. "Double the patrols," he said before moving to the sofa for a nap. Kusakabe took that as his cue to get out.

…

"_Charman!"_

Hibari glared at the person who just barged into his office. "What do you want?"

"S-Someone's been fighting in the shopping district! There are two men lying unconscious on the ground with bruises, cuts, and broken bones. A-A-According to witnesses, two teenagers were fighting them and then they ran off!"

Hibari's face was shadowed. The herbivore finished with his report and was waiting for him to say something. "Leave."

He heard the door slide shut as the murderous aura surrounding him thickened. If this mess was because of Sawada Tsunayoshi again…he swore that he'd bite him to death if it was the last thing he did. But two teenagers meant that someone was with him …and since none of them would tell on each other there was no way of knowing who the two culprits actually were. This meant that he'd have to bite all of them to death.

"In case you're wondering, it wasn't Dame-Tsuna who caused that minor inconvenience. It wasn't any of his guardians either," a squeaky voice said.

Hibari glared at the baby who was sitting casually on the window sill.

"Oh?"

"Hm," Reborn said. "If it was the Vongola, there would be much more damage done. That is how we do things."

Hibari's eyes narrowed when he saw the sense in that. He wouldn't be getting a report about the disturbance if it was _that_ herbivore who caused it; he would _hear_ it happening and would already be on the scene himself.

"Baby. You know who it is."

"Can't say I do," Reborn said seriously. Then with a glint in his eye he said, "But I'm going to find out. Unless you find who it is first."

"Oh?" Hibari smirked.

Reborn returned the smirk. "I have to get back now. Mama's cooking is almost finished. Ciao ciao!" He jumped off the ledge and started home. With his supreme skills, it took him only a few minutes to reach the Sawada residence. Tsuna was in his room playing video games with Gokudera and Yamamoto.

"Tsuna, where's your homework?"

"_HIIE!"_ Tsuna leaped to his feet and looked at Reborn, who had appeared out of nowhere yet again. "I was going to work on it after playing a game!"

"Work on it now. Or did you want more training?"

"I'll work!"

"Training sounds fun, kid!" Yamamoto said.

"Juudaime needs to focus on his studies! After that, we could continue training," Gokudera snarled at Yamamoto. Then he turned to Tsuna with a very bright smile and said, "Right, Juudaime?"

Tsuna tried to hide his horrified expression at the prospect of training again so soon.

"_No! Stop, thief!"_

The three boys rushed to Tsuna's window to see what was going on. Tsuna's neighbour was running after a man dressed in black who was carrying a large bag over one shoulder.

"Please, can somebody stop him?" she shouted. "My family heirloom is in there!"

"That's an amateur," Gokudera said with a scoff. "How did he even let himself get caught?"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera! You know better than to steal from others," Yamamoto said.

"Tch! I'd never steal! Juudaime, don't listen to a word he says about me!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. "A-Ah…"

"Tsuna, you should do something about it."

"_Hiiie!_ I don't want to chase thieves again!" Tsuna shrieked.

"But as the boss, you're supposed to protect your people," his tutor said.

"Let the police handle the burglar!"

Leon turned into Reborn's gun. Tsuna's eyes widened. "No! I don't want to do that—"

Reborn ignored him and pulled the trigger.

_BAM!_

"RE_….BORN!" _Tsuna rose up from the dead and with fire in his eyes and ran out of his house in his heart-patterned boxers. "_I WILL FIND THAT THEIF WITH MY DYING WILL!"_

"Go, Juudaime!" Gokudera cheered. "Oi, baseball freak, we have to help Juudaime!"

"Haha! Fine by me," Yamamoto said cheerily and followed Gokudera down the stairs.

…

Emi let Max lead her down a street were shop owners were closing down for the day.

"_What are you doing here?"_ she asked him. _"I thought you went home."_

He gestured for her to wait as he caught his breath.

"_How did they find me?" _she asked, referring to the two men who were following her.

Max raised his hands defensively. _"I didn't tell them, if that's what you think. As for why I'm not home, my dad told me to stay here a while longer."_

That didn't sound right. If anything, Max's father liked having his son next to him whenever possible so he could teach him the ways of the Triad. _"Something's going on,"_ he said.

Emi glared at him. _"Yeah, like I'm being chased by the Tigers!"_

"_I'm sorry for that," _Max said sincerely. "_If I could, I'd help you go somewhere else but at this point, hiding's not an option. We need weapons to fight."_

"_I don't think Namimori has an underground weapons dealer,"_ Emi said. _"We're not going to be able to get guns or anything like that."_

"_What do you have at home?"_

She didn't have a lot with her. It was tricky enough to get it shipped here without any of the Triad finding out. She only had a sword, a stunning rod (which was probably lost by now), a few stun guns, and her baton. As she went on with the list, Max realised that she had nothing fatal. _"Oh, and let's not forget the pepper spray."_

"_Would you happen to be May Yu? Please say yes, because I want this job over and done with." _She and Max gasped and backed away from two men who were just a metre away from them. One was large, with big muscles and a very intimidating face. The other was just as tall, but was much thinner.

Both had tattoos covering their entire right arm, as if that would help disguise them. She looked at their clothing closely and saw bulges near their belts, giving her the impression that they were armed with a weapon.

"Who are you?" she asked innocently. _I swear we just finished fighting with a few of these men's friends..._

One of them chuckled. _"Are you May Yu?" _

"I don't understand what you're asking." Emi could feel epinephrine course through her body as the men were getting more confident and were closing up the distance between them.

"_You speak Cantonese," _the big guy said.

_Okay, so they heard us talking so there's no point in denying that. Which also means they heard what we were talking about._

"_So what if we speak Cantonese? What does that mean to you?"_ Max asked.

The skinny guy shrugged and stepped closer. They stepped back into an alley.

"_Listen, I'm not whoever you think I am. My name is not May Yu," _Emi said. She looked behind her. She felt more hopeful to see that this alley wasn't a dead end.

The two men shared a look before the big guy—Buff—grabbed Max, while the skinny guy—Scrawny—held onto Emi.

"Hey!" Emi shouted.

"_See, there's just one problem with your answer,"_ Buff said. _"We don't believe you."_

"_I'm not May Yu!"_

"_Let us go!"_

Scrawny laughed. _"We know that May Yu has the tattoo of her gang."_

"_I don't have a tattoo!"_ _Damn that stupid tattoo!_

"_Let's see about that,"_ Scrawny said and pulled the collar of her uniform shirt to reveal the tattoo of a hawk on her right shoulder.

"_So you _are_ May Yu!"_

"_Let go of me—Max!"_ Emi shouted only his name as a warning before she head-butted the man holding her—breaking his nose in the process—, and tossed the gun he still had in his holster at Max who caught it swiftly and aimed at the gun at Buff.

But unlike Scrawny, Buff was ready for whatever Max might do to him so he let go of the teen immediately and went for his own gun while crouching down to avoid being shot at. While he was in that position, Buff shouldered the teen into the wall.

Max groaned and pushed himself off the wall before Buff could fire his gun. Then he tackled the big man, knocking them both to the ground. They wrestled for the gun with him trying to pull the gun away from his head. Buff was too strong for him. One of Buff's hands was wrapped around his neck while the other was holding the gun with the thumb slowly moving to disable the safety mode.

_This isn't good,_ Max thought and tried to use both hands to move the barrel of the gun away.

"_Gotcha!"_

Emi yelped when Scrawny pulled both her arms behind her back and forced her to her knees.

"_I have her!"_

"_Good. Let me just finish this brat off."_

Emi's eyes widened. _"No!"_

"_Who sent you here?"_ Max sputtered. _"Who are you?"_

Buff laughed. _"Who else would want you dead…little bird?"_

"_You—you stupid Tigers…should've—known—"_

Emi twisted and pulled but instead of having Scrawny releasing her, he pushed her until she was flat on the ground. She grunted and turned her head to see Max trying to push the gun away.

"_Yes, well it's too late for you now. The boss wants you out of the picture since you're a wild dog after his future wife."_

"_Whoever said I was going to marry your boss?"_ Emi screamed. _"That fat, old, and ugly—"_ Scrawny's foot pressed down on her shoulder.

"_Shut up! Do you want me to break this?"_

"_Don't you dare—"_ Max choked and made one last effort to kick the man off him.

Emi let out a piercing scream.

Buff glared at Scrawny. _"We aren't supposed to hurt her."_

"_I didn't, she yelled for no reason!"_

"_Damn it, she's trying to draw attention to us."_

"_Not that it'll work. No one's on the street—"_

"Herbivores wielding weapons and abusing Namimori residents will be bitten to death."

Emi jerked her head as high as she could and smiled with relief when she saw the head prefect.

"_Damn, someone came! What do we do now?"_ Scrawny asked.

"_Just kill him."_ Buff started to raise the gun. When it cleared Max's head, Max grabbed it so the gun wouldn't be aimed at the teen that came to save them. Suddenly coming up with an idea, he bit the arm holding his throat and didn't let go until the man screamed.

Hibari brought out his tonfa and knocked one of them into Buff's head. When he was down, Hibari glared at the exhausted looking Max. "I didn't need your help."

Max grinned up at him and shook his head. _"I don't understand a word you said, but thanks."_

"_Don't move!"_

Max sat up and glared at the man still holding Emi. They were both standing with Scrawny using her as a shield.

"_If you move, I'll seriously do something to her!"_

Max narrowed his eyes. _"Yeah? Like what?"_

"_HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"_

…

Reborn followed Tsuna as he charged over the rooftops in pursuit of the burglar who was making his escape on foot.

"_STOP!"_ Tsuna roared. People from office buildings looked out curiously and covered their eyes at the sight of a teenage boy running in his boxers.

The burglar looked up and his eyes popped out of his head when he saw the teen. "What the hell is with this kid?"

"_I WILL MAKE YOU GIVE BACK THAT HEIRLOOM WITH MY DYING WILL!"_

"Yeah right! G-Get away from me!" the burglar shouted.

Tsuna roared and jumped towards the next building. _"YOU'RE NOT GETTING away_ with that…_!"_

Reborn looked at his stopwatch. "Oops. Five minutes just passed."

Tsuna was suspended in mid-air for a moment and he looked down at the dark alley he was currently flying over. _"HIIIIIIE!"_ He struggled to make himself go forward a bit more, to reach the other end of the building, but while he struggled, gravity took over and he plummeted to the ground.

"Reborn!" Tsuna screamed as he tried to latch onto something. _WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME? _

He shut his eyes tight as he waited for impact—

_THUMP._

"_Ite-te_…" Tsuna winced and sat up…from the man he flattened_. "Hiie!_ I'm so sorry!" He quickly got off and started to bow until his head hit the ground. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Tsuna looked at the man to make sure that he wasn't too injured. "Are you alright…eh?" Tsuna trailed off as he looked around him.

The man Tsuna flattened was still on the floor, groaning while trying to rub his back. Right next to him stood a seventeen year old girl who looked relatively unharmed but she sported red marks on her arms and had scratches covering her legs. Tsuna turned to the next person, another man on the floor, unconscious. Nearby was a gun that wasn't on safety mode. Tsuna gulped. Then he looked at the other two standing figures. The teenager was also about seventeen years old, with black hair. Now _he_ looked worse, as if he was in an intense battle.

Tsuna turned his gaze to the final figure. He didn't even have to look at the face to recognise the teen. All he had to do was look at those shiny pair of tonfa.

Reborn jumped down and landed next to Tsuna. "What's going on here?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

Hibari…was here. With his weapons out. "H-Hibari-s-s-san?" _What's he doing here?_

The girl let out a small shriek. "What happened to your _clothes?"_

Embarrassed, Tsuna muttered, "I-It's not like I go out like this all the time!"

"Baby," Hibari said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "If you're going to tell me to fight that herbivore, it will have to wait until I bite these herbivores to death."

Reborn lifted his fedora slightly and jumped onto the indecently dressed herbivore, who was beginning to stand.

"You," Reborn said to the girl. Emi pointed to herself with a questioning look.

"Me?"

"You're May Yu, daughter of the _Hóng Ying'_s boss in Hong Kong_, _aren't you?"

Hibari's eyes narrowed at that statement and at Max, who still hadn't relaxed since the appearance of Reborn. _Could he know of the baby?_

Tsuna tried to look at Reborn who was still sitting on his head. "What do you mean? T-Triad? Here, in Namimori? Isn't the Mafia enough for you!?"

"What do you mean, Dame-Tsuna? My job is to make your life hell. Didn't you know?" Reborn's fedora shadowed his face and his expression.

Hibari flicked his pair of tonfa and retracted them. He knew the Triads were looking for one of their members, but he didn't know that it was the daughter of one of their bosses.

Max stepped in front of him. _"I have a question."_

Tsuna was looking at him cautiously.

"_Why is Reborn in Japan?"_

To no one in particular, Tsuna asked, "What did he say?"

Emi blinked. "Who's Reborn?"

Max understood that much. _"Reborn's the deadliest assassin in the Mafia. Number one, I think."_

Emi took a fearful step back and watched Tsuna and the baby carefully. _"Why is the number one assassin of the Mafia a teenager?"_ she asked. _"It doesn't make any sense!"_

Reborn's mouth turned down in a scowl. He jumped up and kicked the back of his student's head.

"_Ite! _What was that for!?"

"I just felt like it," Reborn said. Then to Emi he said, "_I'm_ Reborn and don't you forget it."

Emi stared at him. "I'm sorry...?"

Max snorted, which made her scowl at him. _"What are you doing here?"_ Max asked again. _"Are you here for a job?"_

Reborn turned to Max. _"Yeah. I'm Dame-Tsuna's tutor."_

Emi frowned. "Wait, why is Reborn a tutor? _I thought you said he was a hitman,"_ she said to Max.

He was just as shocked as she was. _"But he is one!"_

Tsuna was rubbing his head.

Hibari's own nerves were fraying from the constant switching of languages and the crowding of herbivores. Plus the two on the ground were beginning to stir. He'd have to do something about that. But first…

"Herbivores."

"_Hie!"_

"Vandalising property in Namimori is a serious offence and will not be tolerated. You will all be bitten to death!"

And without further ado, he proceeded to bite Max and Tsuna to death under ten seconds. Emi gasped at them. "Why did you do that to Max? He was already injured!"

"Hn." He collected the two Triad members and Max.

"Wait, Hibari." Hibari glared at the baby. Reborn turned to Emi. "You're going to stay at Tsuna's house."

"Reborn!"the herbivore screamed and instantly regretted it, since he was already falling back to the ground. "You want _another_ gang member in my house!?"

"Are you forgetting that you are one too?"

"I'm not going to be a Mafia boss!"

Hibari was losing his patience. He held onto the herbivore at his feet by his collar. "Baby, what do you want?"

"May Yu and Max are going to be under our protection, that's all I wanted to tell you."

"Hn. Why do I care?"

"Because that means you can't beat them up and you'll have to protect them like any other Namimori resident."

"No," Hibari said flatly.

"Are you saying that you can't protect two more people?" Reborn inquired.

Hibari and Reborn stared at each other for the longest time before Hibari grunted. "I'll bite them to death if they don't follow the rules."

"But that's ridiculous!" Emi shouted. "What rules are you talking about?"

Hibari ignored the herbivore. The fact was, the closer they were to his territory, the closer he could watch them and make sure that they behaved themselves. At the same time he would also vanquish the Triad gang in Namimori.

"Baby, you owe me."

"Tsuna owes you," Reborn said.

Hibari considered this as the herbivore began to scream at his tutor. "Hn."

"I don't want to fight again. Xanxus and the Varia finally left not too long ago!"

"Too bad," Reborn said in his most innocent voice.

"_What's going on?"_ Max mumbled from the floor.

Emi was startled by the voice. _"You're awake! They want me to stay at…Tsuna's house." Wait, why does the name sound so familiar?_

Max blinked up at her and took a moment to process the words. _"Oh. Is the hitman going to be there?"_

"_I guess…?"_

"_You shouldn't go. We don't know who they are…and it could be a trap." _he winced and touched his head.

Hibari glared at Max. "Shut up, herbivore." Then he left, dragging three bodies behind him.

Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's stomach. "Come on, Tsuna. We need to tell Mama that there's going to be one more person staying with us."

"I could just go back to my own apartment," she started to say.

"No, you'll stay with us. Bianchi will make sure that you have the proper clothing for the night."

_Who's Bianchi?_ "Fine, but I'm only staying tonight! I'm going home in the morning, okay?"

Reborn smirked. "Sure. And Dame-Tsuna, hurry and put something on before someone calls the police again."

"_Hiiie!"_

Still cautious but confident that she could escape if things started to look dicey she followed them to the Sawada residence.

During the walk, she took the time to examine both of them. The baby—Reborn—was wearing a suit and a fedora. On the fedora was a green chameleon. If he wasn't wearing a suit and speaking properly and not known as the top assassin in the Mafia, she would have considered him cute.

Her gaze shifted to Tsuna, who was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that his tutor had conjured up from somewhere. He was a few inches shorter than her, which was probably because of their age difference. Whenever he looked at her, she saw nervousness in those large brown eyes, but there was also caution in them.

From the way he and Reborn communicated, she could tell that they had a comfortable relationship, despite Tsuna's constant complaints—_Tsuna. Reborn. Tsuna…Tsuna-san._ Her mouth opened slightly as she remembered why his name sounded so familiar.

_Tsuna is the guy Haru kept on going on about. She was going to be his future wife one day. _At that, she frowned. _Does Haru know that her boyfriend is part of the Mafia? Does she know what she is getting into?_ Emi gritted her teeth, suddenly feeling protective of her kouhai.

As though he sensed her sudden change, Tsuna stopped at the gates to his house and gave her a startled look. Emi smiled at him and he shook his head. _It must have been my imagination_. "I'm home!"

"Tsu-kun welcome home. You ran off so suddenly I couldn't ask where you were going. Then Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun both ran off as well." Nana giggled. "I thought you were playing tag."

Tsuna sweatdropped. "Sorry, kaa-san. Reborn made me run after a thief…"

"Ara! Tsu-kun, you're so brave," she cooed and went back to her cooking. But she stopped when she realised that they weren't alone. "Who is this?"

"Mama, May Yu will be staying with us tonight."

"My name is Rina Emi," Emi said quickly and bowed to Nana. "Thank you for having me over. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Nana waved her away with the tip of her knife. "Oh, don't worry! I'm always glad when Tsu-kun and Reborn-kun bring home friends!"

Emi backed off at the sight of a waving knife but the woman seemed to have total control over it.

"We should find Bianchi…" Tsuna said to Emi, who just nodded.

When they entered the living room, quiet's worst enemy made an appearance.

"Lambo-san wants candy!"

"Shut up, you stupid cow. You can't get everything you want! And stop complaining when Okaa-sama is cooking us dinner!"

She gaped at the rudeness of the boy with silver hair.

"BUT LAMBO-SAN WANTS HIS GRAPE CANDY," the baby in cow prints screamed again.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera, Lambo, we shouldn't be fighting in Tsuna's house." Emi recognised him as the boy from Take-Sushi. He was the son of the restaurant owner, if she remembered correctly.

"Lambo bad," another baby scolded.

Emi looked at the child in surprise. Sure enough, the baby was wearing traditional Chinese clothing with her hair braided back along her head. And she could never mistake that voice for someone else's.

"_Is that you, I-Pin?"_ she asked politely in Mandarin.

I-Pin looked up at her name being called. Emi knelt down so I-Pin could see her better. She waited nervously, as the child was known for mistaking her friends and acquaintances as the enemy.

I-Pin suddenly smiled and nodded. "I-Pin remembers Yu-san!" she bowed in greeting.

Returning the bow, Emi said, "It's great to see you again, I-Pin! But please call me Emi here? I'm kind of hiding from the Triad," she whispered to the child. I-Pin nodded solemnly.

"Emi-san staying with us here?" I-Pin asked.

"For tonight," Emi confirmed. Internally, she was sweating. She had no idea why an assassin would be staying in Tsuna's house.

"She is part of Tsuna's family," Reborn answered for her.

"What!"

"W-Wait, I-Pin knows her? _How?"_ Tsuna asked in astonishment.

Emi shook away her surprise and answered his question. "I met her in my father's summer home; her master had some business with my father and she tagged along."

"B-Business?"

Reborn hit him. "Stop being a baby, Dame-Tsuna. Fon and I-Pin are well known over there. It's not a surprise that they met each other at least once before, with May Yu being part of one of the biggest gangs.

"Juudaime, you're back," Gokudera said from beneath Lambo and Yamamoto.

"Yo, Tsuna!"

"Gokudera-kun, are you alright?!"

"Hai! We also caught the thief and brought him to the police station," Gokudera said proudly. "Mission accomplished!"

"R-Right…"

Someone with pink hair and green eyes walked into the room. "Oh. Tsuna's just in time for my new recipe."

"A-Aneki," Gokudera stuttered before fainting.

"Oi, Gokudera!"

"GAHAHA! Tako-head fell asleep again!" Lambo laughed. "You will all be my subordinates!"

"I don't want to try anything on that plate," Tsuna shrieked and backed away.

Bianchi kissed her teeth in disappointment and narrowed her eyes at Emi. "And who's this?"

"I'm Rina Emi. It's nice to meet you," Emi said with a bow. Bianchi frowned slightly, wondering if this could be a rival for Reborn's love. But then she decided that it was nonsense. Reborn was faithful to her and her alone.

"Well then. I hope your stay is comfortable." Bianchi glanced at her brother. "Hayato. What are you doing on the floor? Are you sick again? Here, let aneki help you up."

Gokudera covered his mouth. After the spasm passed, he tried to refuse help but he fainted when Bianchi picked him up. "Such a troublesome little brother. I'll put him on the couch."

Emi pointed to them while looking at Tsuna. "What was that?!"

Yamamoto laughed. "Gokudera seems to be unwell whenever his sister is around!"

_Weirdo,_ Emi thought.

"Let's get you settled in," Reborn said suddenly.

Emi jolted in surprise. "O-Okay."

"Follow me," Bianchi said when she returned from helping Gokudera onto the couch.

As she let Bianchi guide her to the room they were to share, Emi's mind wandered to the two attacks she encountered six months after she moved to Namimori. Half of those were with the Triad—within a few days of each other—and the other half, one may ask? Was the result of being caught by the Disciplinary Committee. That wasn't much better.

…

The next day after school, Emi went straight to the hospital to visit Max. He looked surprised._ "You came to visit."_

Emi heaved out a sigh and dropped her school bag on the visitor's chair. _"There's no point in avoiding you now. How are you?"_

"_As good as anyone could be after being hit by an elephant. We have to talk about the Triads."_

"_We? I told you before, you can just go home. There's no need to stay here."_

Max shook his head. _"You can't do this alone. We have to fight them. Maybe we'll have a chance convince your father to break the contract—or not sign it officially yet."_

She was moved by his resolved tone and expression but she knew she couldn't go back.

"_Max, you should go home."_

"_We've gone over this before," _Max said stubbornly. _"Something's not right and I'm not about to just let you get handed over to the Tigers because of something your dad signed."_

"_Have you forgotten that we have no means to fight?"_ Emi asked lightly.

"_That guy who beat me up seems fine on his own."_

"_Hibari Kyoya? He's just one person! And this is an entire gang we're talking about. Who knows how many Tigers are here looking for me?"_

"_Then that's the first thing we should find out,"_ Max insisted. _"And try to get that guy in on it! As long as we're careful, none of us will get hurt."_

"_He's just some high school student. You can't drag him into our mess! How old is he, seventeen, eighteen?"_ Emi cried out.

"_I thought he was in middle school," _Max said.

Emi paused for a moment. "_He looks old enough to be in high school—that's not the point!"_

"_Reborn's here too," _Max said slowly.

"_So…?"_

"_He said he was training a boss, wasn't he? A boss has allies to fight for him."_

"_You're joking. Please tell me you're joking. That kid he was training is at most fourteen. There is no way he is up to fighting an entire gang."_

"_Who knows? He might be. We have to ask. Reborn knows his student's limits. Surely he'll refuse if he thinks it's too much. Just go ask him."_

…

Emi left the hospital and kicked the wall before pulling at her hair. "Why is this happening to me?" she shouted.

Pedestrians stopped and stared at her but scurried off when she shouted at them. "What are you staring at?!"

She began to walk down a random road while trying to remember how to find Tsuna's house. She was consulting a map when she saw Hibari walk down another road from the corner of her eye. "Hibari-san!"

Hibari stopped and glared at her. Hadn't she caused enough trouble? Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Emi stopped in front of him and hesitated. _Why am I doing this again? Right, right. Because I need reinforcements. A bunch of teenagers against a gang. Like that would work._

"I just need some help. I will understand if you don't want to since—"

"Hn. Find someone else."

"The Triads. You must know about them by now since Reborn mentioned them before."

Hibari's curiosity was slightly peaked. He remained silent, unwilling to shed light to the fact that he already knew about the Triad gang before the baby announced it. He continued to glare until the herbivore felt uncomfortable enough to start shifting on her feet.

"Well…I was hoping that you could help Max and I…get rid of them?" she finished hopefully. "Or at least scare them off."

Hibari narrowed his eyes. They wanted him to fight against the Triad gang of herbivores? Why would he do that with them? He continued walking.

"W-Wait. You're pretty strong right? You won't really have to do anything. Maybe just take one or two of them. We just need a few extra hands to make this work. I mean, one or two isn't that much—"

The herbivore continued to ramble on as Hibari tried to ignore her but some of her words trickled through. Who did she think she was talking to? He could take out the entire group of herbivores on his own, _without_ help.

"But I guess if you're worried about getting injured we understand, but if we work together—"

Did she really think that he was refusing because he was afraid of getting _injured?_ Only herbivores got injured from a measly fight. Annoyed, he brought out his tonfa and faced her.

She took a hasty step back when she saw the weapons. "What? What did I say?" she asked desperately. She was tired of seeing tonfa in her face! _I swear, after this I'm never going to look at a tonfa the same way again._

Without answering, Hibari swung his right tonfa into her gut but she jumped back just in time. He'd show her. There was no way he was working with others and there was no way he was weak. When was he ever weak? He couldn't even remember.

He continued to fight her—if anyone could consider dodging as proper fighting—for a few seconds before he finally landed a blow that glanced off her side.

She stumbled back. "Okay," she said and gasped. "So you don't want to fight against them, fine—"

She still didn't understand? That wasn't the issue here. Why was it so hard to get the point across to this herbivore? Did he actually have to spell it out? He raised his left tonfa—

"_Hiie! _What's going on?"

Hibari let out an irritated sigh as he recognised the voice. He stepped back and gave the other herbivore a look which stopped him in his tracks.

Next to the herbivore was Reborn who was analysing the situation. He saw Emi backed into a wall with Hibari about to hit her—again, if the hand holding her side was any indication of a previous hit. Either way, her father would not be glad if his daughter was harmed by a Vongola Guardian. Not that Reborn particularly cared for a Triad boss' opinion, but it would be better not to make unnecessary enemies.

"Hn."

Emi shouted after him as he stalked off. "I don't understand! Why won't you help?"

Hibari ignored her and turned a corner.

"E-Emi-san…are you alright? He didn't hurt you too much, did he?" Tsuna asked anxiously as he looked her over. Seeing that there weren't any bruises or beaten up parts to her, he reckoned they weren't fighting for long.

"It's just a bruise. But damn, it hurts!"

Tsuna winced, understanding her pain.

"What was that about?" Reborn asked abruptly. "It's not like him to get riled up like that for no reason."

"I don't know!"

"_Something_ must have happened," Tsuna reasoned nervously. "Did you break into Nami-chuu or something over the weekend?"

Emi flinched. Sure she did, but that wasn't why he was provoked right? "No…I just asked if he could help Max and I scare off the Tigers. Maybe fight them a bit. I just want them to leave so I could live in peace."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "You asked Hibari-san to fight with you? But that means destroying some parts of Namimori! He was never going to agree!"

Emi's jaw dropped. "No, that's not what I meant," she said in protest.

"What did you mean then?" Tsuna asked sceptically. He wasn't convinced that destroying Namimori wasn't part of this 'fighting'. Besides, they just fixed up the field in Nami-chuu so Hibari was obviously going to be more protective, right?

"But a little fighting isn't going to destroy anything," Emmi insisted.

"Dame-Tsuna, you should know your guardians better," Reborn said.

"Guardian?" Emi said. "What guardian?"

"Stop saying that, Reborn! And what are you talking about?"

"Hibari doesn't work well with others," Reborn told them both. "Since he's your Cloud Guardian, you should know that by now."

"He sucks at teamwork?" Emi asked exasperatedly. "That's why he won't help?"

"Wait, hold on! Why are you going to fight the Triad gang in the first place?" Tsuna shouted. "You can't go looking for trouble like that! You'll get yourself killed!"

"I have to," Emi said. "If I want them to leave me alone, I have to drive them off!"

Tsuna just gave her a confused look.

Emi sighed. Max did tell her to ask Reborn and his student to help them. "Listen, I have a request for you two."

…

"_Hiie! _I can't take on an entire gang," Tsuna said when he and Reborn heard Emi's plea. They were in his living room, siting on the carpeted floor with a table in between them.

"Of course you can," Reborn said as he sipped his espresso. "If you can't, I'll just throw you in there to let you fend for yourself."

Tsuna stared at his tutor. "You wouldn't!"

Reborn's eyes glinted. "Of course I will." After a few days of training him and his guardians, that is.

Emi looked at them back and forth. She fingered her cup of tea nervously. "So will you help?"

"No!" Tsuna shrieked.

"Why is the gang after you?" Reborn asked, knowing that his student was only saying 'no' because he was used to it. That was another habit he would have to break him of, Reborn noted.

_They want to hear everything? I don't want to tell them everything. But I guess it's only fair. _

"Fine. You know that I'm the daughter of the _Hóng Ying _gang's boss. I don't want to be in the gangs anymore, nor do I want to be the heir, so I just left."

Tsuna gaped at her. He was sort of envious of her freedom to run away.

"I don't know why but my father is planning an arranged marriage between me and the boss of another gang, the Tigers. It's not like my father at all and I really don't want to marry that man. I came to Namimori around half a year ago, hoping to escape from them.

"But the Tigers somehow found out that I was here and are trying to take me back with them. They won't stop until I'm caught or if they suddenly change their mind, which is what I was hoping to help them do."

Reborn turned to Tsuna. "So what do you say, Dame-Tsuna?"

"M-Me? Well…I don't know…it seems pretty dangerous. Can't we just avoid them?"

"You can't avoid trouble forever," Reborn scolded. He knew that Tsuna would eventually agree. Reborn was pleasantly surprised to find out from the battles Tsuna had gone through that he would risk his life for his friends.

But Hibari was another matter. If Reborn wanted Vongola Decimo's guardians to be the best out there, they had to know how to cooperate with others and to provide help when needed. The Cloud Guardian, while aloof, still has the responsibility of working as a team with the other guardians, whatever form that cooperation will take. The Hibari Kyoya now hasn't reached that level yet. But this might improve things.

"Hibari can fight them on his own," Reborn said. "Perhaps he'll come out with a few scratches because he's just that reckless but he's capable."

Emi leaned back and stared at Reborn. "Is he really that good?"

Reborn smirked. "Why would he have been chosen to be Vongola Decimo's Cloud Guardian if he wasn't that good?"

"Vongola? That sounds familiar…"

"It's the number one Mafia family in Italy," Reborn said helpfully.

"_H-Him?_ He's the next boss for the top Mafia family in Italy?_"_ she asked with a finger at Tsuna's direction.

"It's not like I asked for it!"

Reborn kicked Tsuna, sending him sprawling on the floor. "Stop complaining, Dame-Tsuna." Then he turned to Emi and said, "You'll have no problem if you can convince Hibari to go with you."

"Excuse me, but I already tried that."

"You didn't try hard enough and you didn't say the right things."

"What do you mean?" Emi and Tsuna asked.

Reborn set his cup down and asked them, "What's the main reason why Hibari won't help?"

"He hates working with others but loves to fight," Tsuna said. His tutor smirked. At least his student knows that much about his friends.

"Figure the rest out on your own and with your other guardians then."

"But you were just about to tell us," Tsuna protested.

"I'm not going to be around forever. You have to learn to figure out how to handle your own guardians."

"Speaking of Gokudera and Yamamoto…where are they?" Tsuna said aloud. _Yamamoto-kun…I think he said he was going to the park to practice baseball…but where's Gokudera-kun?_

"Maybe he's at that new underground shopping centre—no wait, that's not open until tomorrow."

"Juudaime!" they heard his voice from outside.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said in a startled voice. Moments later, the doorbell rang and Nana went to answer it.

"Gokudera-kun, it's so nice to see you again!"

"Okaa-sama! Is Juudaime home?"

"Hai, hai, he's in the living room with Emi-chan."

"That girl again?" they heard Gokudera mutter. "She's nothing but trouble…Juudaime!" he greeted when he saw Tsuna.

"Hey, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said and sweatdropped.

"What's _she_ doing here?" he asked harshly.

Tsuna quickly explained the situation before Gokudera could pull out his dynamite and threaten the girl and ended his quick explanation with the trouble with getting Hibari to agree to help her.

Gokudera digested the information and said, "I'm surprised he didn't already 'bite them all to death' before today."

…

"_Kusakabe speaking."_

"Meet at the building. We're raiding the Triad herbivores."

He heard Kusakabe choke on his drink. _"We're going to what? But Chairman, there's no time to assemble—"_

"I don't need anyone else," Hibari snapped and hung up. Kusakabe was being ridiculous. Why did they always think that he needed help? He knew that there were probably going to be some Mafia herbivores on the scene but he sincerely hoped that they wouldn't interfere.

He glanced at the time on his phone. It was near dusk, a perfect time to observe the herbivores before attacking. He glanced to his left and saw that Kusakabe was jogging towards him. He focused on the building ahead and continued walking rather than wait for his subordinate to catch up.

Kusakabe joined Hibari in the shadows and said, "I went around the area a few minutes ago. There's no movement outside. According to the landlord, they're in room 300." He nodded at the window with closed curtains.

Hibari followed his gaze. "Hn."

"There are six of them but only five are present. We also found out that their boss is here as well but he's staying in the hotel in suite 710. He has a few body guards with him and obviously they will be armed."

Hibari approached the building. Kusakabe opened his mouth to protest but shut it. He sighed with a resigned smile and followed him in. When they reached the third floor, they listened and found that the five men they were about to ambush didn't care for anything. Kusakabe cocked his head and knocked the door sharply.

One of them shouted something in Cantonese.

Kusakabe's eyebrows shot up in question. Hibari tried to turn the knob. Finding it unlocked, he strolled through while Kusakabe waited outside.

The men were playing cards while smoking and drinking beer. They glanced up at the open door and frowned in confusion when they saw an unfamiliar face. They said something that sounded like a question and Hibari branded his weapons.

They noticed the tonfa and shot to their feet. They said something and one of them stopped another one of them from reaching for his pocket. They still didn't act—probably to see what the teenager would do. That was their first mistake because Hibari didn't give them another chance to defend themselves.

…

Hibari walked out of the building ten minutes later with Kusakabe sighing quietly behind him. He heard hurried footsteps and saw Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gokudera Hayato, Rina Emi, and Reborn.

"Chairman," Kusakabe said to bring his attention to the newcomers. Hibari gave them a glance before turning away.

"Hibari-san!"

The streetlight next to Hibari flickered on as the sun set. "What?" he said to the leading herbivore.

"D-Did you…?" Tsuna stuttered and looked at the building and then back at Hibari.

Hibari snorted. "Weaklings," he said in reply and looked down the street, waiting for the sixth herbivore to make his appearance.

Gokudera went up to the prefect and grabbed his shirt collar. "Oi, you damn bastard, don't you know that you had Juudaime worried?"

Hibari frowned and shoved the herbivore off him. "I don't answer to you or to him," he said as he spotted a herbivore make his way to the building with a bag of take-out. He was about to pass their group when he saw Emi. He stared at her for a moment before Hibari saw signs of recognition appear on his face.

"_Aren't you—?"_

Hibari bit the herbivore to death before another word was uttered. There. All of them were bitten to death. And he didn't even feel satisfied. No, not at all.

"_Hiiiie!"_

"Don't follow me," Hibari said coldly to the herbivores before heading to the hotel. He was looking forward to a good fight.

"Should we follow him?" Emi asked when Hibari was out of sight.

Tsuna shrieked again. "Didn't you just hear what he said? He said not to follow him!" _Do you have a death wish?!_ Tsuna thought, stared at the foreign girl in dismay.

Emi shrugged. "He's fighting these guys who are _my_ problem! The least I can do is make sure that he's fine, right?"

Gokudera scoffed at her question. Reborn spoke from his perch on Tsuna's head. "A boss should always look out for his guardians even when they don't need it."

"Y-You're not suggesting what I think you are suggesting…are you? Ne, Reborn!"

Reborn smirked at his student's queasiness. He jumped off and kicked Tsuna, propelling him forward a few metres before falling flat on his face. "What are you two waiting for? Go after him."

"Hai, Reborn-san!" Gokudera said immediately. "Juudaime, allow me to help you up!"

…

"_Boss, something happened to the guys!"_

A young man of twenty who was eating his dinner in his hotel suite swallowed quickly. _"What do you mean? Who did it?"_

"_We don't know! It was some teenager who just barged in and started beating them up with a pair of tonfa."_

"_Tonfa? Who fights with tonfa nowadays?"_ their boss asked as he stood.

"_He does, apparently. And he might be heading over here. I've got some guys guarding the front but we should still leave now while we can."_

The boss snorted and checked his gun. _"You're telling me to run from a kid? Do you know what will happen to my image if I do that?"_

"_But boss!"_

"_No, I'm staying here and that's final," _he said firmly and continued eating.

…

After the short hassle at the front desk and getting an unoccupied elevator, Hibari imagined what he'd do to the one who was responsible for all the trouble happening in Namimori.

It didn't take long for him to reach the floor he wanted since the elevator didn't stop for any other floor but it did take a few more minutes to take down the body guards that were guarding the suite. The first man who came at him had a bat decorated with spikes that Hibari guessed were supposed to intimidate the opponent rather than do actual harm, since all Hibari had to do to unarm him was a good solid hit to the wrist and a kick in the gut, which pinned down two other body guards, who wielded a gun and a sword respectively.

The fourth one stayed behind and took aim with the gun. He only fired once before Hibari pounced and knocked the man unconscious.

"Hn. And you call yourselves body guards," Hibari said to the pile of twitching bodies. The elevator chimed and the doors opened to reveal Kusakabe.

More footsteps came as a man who looked like a boss and five more body guards rushed out from another room. The boss shouted something and his men charged. Just as Hibari had swung his tonfa, the man in front of him stepped to the side and the man behind him took his place.

Hibari, surprised for just a moment, took a second to balance himself and managed to just avoid the knife aimed at him. He closed in and landed a blow on the man's jaw but the man knelt and tried to trip Hibari, who jumped just in time and blocked the knife that was coming at him again.

Simultaneously, he was attacked by the other three while the last one remained standing next to their boss.

It was like a dance, Kusakabe noted, as Hibari spun around to land another blow before directing his attention at another dance. He was sure that Hibari's moves were less wasted and were quicker. It must have something to do with all the days he fought against Dino Broncho leading up to the Ring Battles.

Kusakabe saw that the boss was becoming more unsettled with each man Hibari defeated. He himself wasn't so sure that he could take those men down, but Hibari was doing it so easily that he would fear for his own life if he had to go against the Chairman.

When all four joined the first pile, the last body guard brought out his gun. Kusakabe sighed. When will they learn that guns didn't exactly work on Hibari? Didn't the man see Hibari easily unarm two other men who had guns and that not a single shot hit their mark?

This last man went down as well, leaving the boss totally unprotected save for his own abilities which Hibari waited to see. When none came—he ignored the shaking hand holding a gun—Hibari shrugged inwardly and proceeded to bite the man to death as he screamed for mercy.

Finally, battered black and blue with whatever else Hibari had given him, the man whimpered and said in Japanese, "Just who are you?"

Hibari said, "Hibari Kyoya, leader of the Disciplinary Committee." He flicked his tonfa a few times before collapsing them.

"That—That ring on your finger—" the boss stuttered and tried to point but his arm was broken. "That ring!"

Hibari ignored his stuttering and said, "Listen carefully, herbivore…if you or anyone in your herbivore-gang ever set foot in Namimori again for any reason, I will bite you to death!"

The boss, having seen the Vongola ring when the boy came in, thought it to be a fake. But once he saw the boy in action he was worried that it might be the real deal.

"Are you really the Cloud Guardian?" he asked anxiously. Even the Triads had heard of the Vongola though they barely had any contact with them. He didn't want to get on the bad side of that family, especially if they had members like this boy—a _boy_. If the Vongola trained their young like this, he didn't want to meet the more experienced members.

Hibari glanced at the ring the man was talking about and grunted. _I guess the ring is useful for something_ _even if it's misrepresenting me,_ he thought. After all, he didn't associate himself with those herbivores. But since he learned that the ring represented power, he didn't mind wearing it.

Hibari sent a glare at the man. "Have you heard my warning? I won't be repeating it."

The boss nodded quickly and tried to shimmy away.

_Pathetic._

…

"_They what?"_ Max said blankly to Emi. She sat down on his visitor's chair.

"_He just…beat them all up,"_ Emi told him again with a shrug of her shoulders. _"I don't know how he did it, but it worked."_

"_Let me get this straight_…" Max said and pushed himself into a more comfortable sitting position.

_-Flashback-_

"Hibari-san, don't tell me you went up there, fought the boss, and came back down…unscathed?" Emi said, coming to a halt next to Tsuna and Gokudera.

"…"

"You did, didn't you?" Tsuna yelped. "You could have gotten hurt!"

Needless to say, Vongola Decimo wouldn't be rising from his hospital bed for quite a while.

"You."

Emi flinched. "Y-Yes?"

"If you cause any more trouble I will bite you to death. That is your _final_ warning."

They fell into a hushed silence as Hibari and Kusakabe left after doing her a very big favour—wait. He didn't. Not yet, anyways. "Guys, I'll be right back," Emi said and dashed up to the suite she knew the boss was staying in, thanks to the previous investigations she conducted.

"W-Wait, Emi-san! What—where are you going?"

She jabbed at the elevator button and saw that Reborn was forcing Tsuna and Gokudera to join her. "You don't need to come," she said as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"But we'd miss the performance," Reborn said innocently, a bowl of popcorn appearing in his hands.

Emi brushed aside the comment and stepped into the elevator, waiting for Tsuna and Gokudera to join her before pressing the button for the top floor.

"I just want to make sure that he will give up on finding me," Emi said. Tsuna wanted to interrupt her but she continued quickly, "Hibari-san might have come for his own reasons, but I'm going to just add my own threats to whatever Hibari-san had given him—since I'm assuming the prefect would have threatened the Tiger boss."

"Che. As if that bastard would have ever helped you with anything," said Gokudera.

Emi smirked. "The man we're about to talk to doesn't know that."

_Ding!_

She turned back to face the room and the smirk on her face froze when she saw what carnage Hibari had wrecked in his wake.

"R-Right…Hibari-san did this?"

Tsuna nodded shakily. "A-And that's why you need to be more careful around him. We've actually seen him do worse with less time!"

"That's the boss," Emi said and pointed at a figure that was sprawled half on the carpet and half on the couch. "Oi," she said and kicked his side gently.

He screamed in pain and she winced unsympathetically. "My bad. I guess you're more hurt than I thought."

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly.

"Listen, you," Emi said before switching to Cantonese, _"If you don't stop trying to find me to bring me back, you'll face Hibari Kyoya again! And it'll be worse. Perhaps he'd also just decide to torture you for the fun of it? The point is, if you come after me again, you will wish that you died today."_

Reborn jumped off from Tsuna and with a wide smile he said, _"And you'll have the Vongola to answer for. The new generation of Vongola Guardians, that is. I have one of them right behind me. The other is the tenth Vongola boss. And you just met a third earlier on. Do you want to meet all of them?"_

The man was clearly frightened from what the two of them said, though neither Tsuna nor Gokudera knew what had just happened.

"We're done here," Emi said cheerfully and stood from her crouch next to the man who looked ready to wet his pants.

"Oi, what did you say?" Gokudera asked curiously.

"Nothing really, just that the Vongola, namely Hibari-san, will come for him again if he tries to look for me," Emi said.

"But—"

"Time to go!" Emi said before Gokudera could give anything away. Sure, the boss wasn't fluent in Japanese, but he still understood enough to put a sentence like "he wouldn't help you" together.

"It's crazy how much influence the Vongola has," Tsuna exclaimed when they were in the elevator, going down. "I mean…Reborn always tells me that they're the most influential famiglia but still! To make that man fear you just because you mentioned the Vongola…what have I gotten myself into?" He whispered the last part, though everyone heard.

"Juudaime, I know that you'll be a great boss!" Gokudera said, his eyes gleaming though it was filled with pride and confidence.

Emi laughed and elbowed Tsuna in the ribs. "Just use the power for the good. After all," she leaned down to whisper, "once you're boss, you can do whatever you want to the organisation, ne?"

Tsuna turned his head sharply, eyes questioning.

Emi had decided, after observing Sawada Tsunayoshi for a while, that the young boy could do no harm to the world even if he tried. It just wasn't part of his nature to do so. Haru would be in good hands if she stayed with him, even if he was in the mafia. "What I mean is, who's going to stop you from destroying the Vongola after you take control?" She gave him a wink.

"_Hiiiie!"_

Reborn gave Emi a glare and was satisfied when she blanched and stepped away from the Arcobaleno. "D-Don't take what I said seriously!" _Damn, I forgot about the baby._

"Yes, Tsuna…if you ever try anything like that…" Reborn let his sentence trail off, knowing that his pupil understood the threat.

"Juudaime would never do that!" Gokudera screamed at Emi, shocking the other passengers in the elevator.

"Okay, okay!" Emi squeaked and backed away from all of them. "I was just joking!"

_-End Flashback-_

"_That's what happened_," Emi said. _"Obviously Tsuna was thinking pretty deeply near the end but I'm not a mind reader so I can't tell you what he was thinking about."_

"_You're basically free then,"_ Max said slowly.

Emi shrugged. _"I'm still not going back with you."_

"_I…I know. You've made a life here."_

Emi hummed and let him think that. _"You'll be going home soon?"_

Max slammed a bandaged fist against his leg. _"As soon as the majority of these injuries area healed I'll be on my way. I can thank your friend for that."_

"_He's not my friend," _Emi muttered. She cleared her throat and gathered her school bag. _"I won't see you off. Stay safe, Max."_

Max pulled her in for a one-arm hug and released her with a sad smile._ "I'm sure we'll meet again."_

_Emi grinned." If I have a say in it, we wouldn't. Once I pull out of the Triads, I intend to stay out of them."_

…

She zipped up her suitcase and looked around her sparse apartment. There wasn't much to begin with anyways—the only additions to the tables were any pictures she had taken with Haru, her coworkers, and the animals from the zoo. The frames sat empty, the memories safely tucked away in a photo album.

"I haven't actually thanked the Vongola yet. How did that slip my mind?" she asked herself and laughed.

Upon crossing the street, she saw Hibari. She stood where she was, waiting for him to approach. He glared at her and passed. "I want to thank you, Hibari-san. Would you mind relaying the message to Sawada?"

"Don't presume that I'll be your messenger."

She took a deep breath and turned around. "I think you should know that I'll be leaving Namimori soon. Don't worry, I definitely won't cause any trouble."

He continued walking, though she thought she saw him tilt his head towards her when she said that she was leaving. _Guess I have to find Sawada myself...not that I actually thought the Great Hibari Kyoya of the Vongola would do it for me._

She watched him leave with a small smile. All in all, her six months in Namimori wasn't that bad. She was truly free from the Triads, with the help of some Mafia members, who she believed were the same as the Triad. But no. It seemed like Sawada Tsunayoshi and his friends might be a little different.

…

**Nine years and eight months later… **(A/N:Remember that this is AU)

Monica Lee, also known as Rina Emi, also known as May Yu, came home from work feeling nerve wracked. Someone had just tried to attack her. Luckily, she managed to get away but she couldn't say the same for her car.

The woman who tried to kill her had shot flames at her car. She had run the rest of the way home, losing the woman a few blocks away.

Why was someone after her? The woman clearly wasn't from the Triads—and she had no trouble with them for almost ten years. Why would they find her now? No, it wasn't the Triad.

She brought in her mail and entered her flat cautiously. Trying to find some sense of normality, she flipped through her mail. It was the usual—bills, advertisements, bank statements—and a letter to one Monica Lee with no return address.

She put it under the light in an attempt to see what was inside before opening it. After a few more minutes, she decided that it wasn't going to kill her so she sliced it open.

Out tumbled a single card.

She stared at the message written in a very familiar script, though not in a language she would have expected: English.

She stared at them for another two minutes before she slowly slid to the floor and let silent tears fall from her eyes. After five minutes, she rubbed the tears away and went to her bedroom. She opened the closet and removed the false bottom to reveal a packed backpack which she refreshed every six months. Beside it she had her weapons—these were not the pepper spray and stun guns she had with her ten years ago. These were meant to kill. And she planned to use them in the near future.

Before leaving, she went back to the kitchen to collect her keys and to burn the card which had fluttered beneath the table.

_**Emi—**_

_**Juudaime is dead. The Vongola-Hunt has started. Hide.**_

_**H.**_

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ** WOW. FINALLY. FINISHED. That's all I can say about this after working on it for months. I apologise if you find any inconsistencies or just scenes that don't make sense together. _Please_ tell me if you find either things.

…

Some of you were wondering, so I'm going to tell you guys what I'm going to work on while I'm gone. It's kind of—no, not kind of. It totally is an **AU** fic, with mostly Tsuna. I don't know how to word it so that it sounds different from some other fan fictions that might go along the same sort of idea, but there's more to it than that.

Here's the thing. Tsuna dies and is reborn into another world. Sounds clichéd doesn't it? But I'm also creating an after world for him. In my story, he is (I hesitate to say) an angel, though there's no religious connections to the angels that I am creating.

I thought of just giving you guys a short explanation of what it's going to be about (I don't have a summary yet—sorry) but I decided to not spoil so much. This is also **not **related to the tragedy poll that I have up on my profile. That one's for a KHR! fan fiction that's only half thought out at the moment.

See, it's mainly Tsuna and a bunch of OCs but there are canon characters at any-which-way you turn.

To sum it up in two words: Mafia wars, angel wars, dying will flames, wings, parallel world, character death, reincarnation.

**He also might have a romantic interest towards an OC**. Tell me now if this is a very bad idea so I wouldn't include it or else…what do they say…forever hold your peace (shrug)? I'm not too excited to write about romance myself but hey, I've never tried it. I might as well start with KHR! though I'm leaning towards not having romance. Tell me what you think.

I won't be publishing the story until I finish writing at least the first draft of the entire fic so the only thing I'll be publishing, if anything, will be oneshots.

Thanks for reading!

Ja ne~

…

(Random question: Are people sure that when Tsuna calls Ryohei "onii-san", that it's not just a mistranslation from him actually saying "Kyoko's big brother" ("Kyoko no onii-san") or something like that?)

* * *

><p><em><strong>-LLM<strong>_

**_Uploaded 2014-07-05th_  
><strong>


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